Support Archives - Page 10 of 19

New Event Planned For City Centre’s Roof Garden

Aberdeen City, Featured, Information No Responses »

May 272016

With thanks to Phil Moar, Account Manager, Citrus:Mix.

A unique new event is set to have Aberdeen’s freshest greenspace jumping for joy.

Big Bounce at Bon Accord takes place within the roof garden above the St Nicholas Centre on the weekend of June 25-26.

The enhanced area, which last year saw over £200,000 worth of improvements made to it, will see a total of nine inflatables installed throughout the course of the weekend, with the shopping centre appealing for both kids and big kids to join it on the day.

It’s one of a number of events planned that will utilise the garden’s space and bandstand throughout the summer months with a view to establishing the area as a go-to event location.

Big Bounce at Bon Accord will fall under the UK-wide One Great Day initiative and will this year raise funds for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity and Aberdeen-based CLAN Cancer Support.

Attendees will be able to purchase tokens on the day for use of the inflatables, with all profits raised being split between both causes. A range of music and entertainment will also add to the party atmosphere over the two days.

Craig Stevenson, centre manager at Bon Accord & St Nicholas, said:

“We’ve been busy devising a programme of events for within the roof garden in the summer months approaching and Big Bounce at Bon Accord is a main focus of this line-up.

“We’ve been looking to create a unique and different event that has the potential to become an annual occurrence and we think that our Big Bounce weekend fits the bill. We’re going to have nine inflatables installed over the two days – from bouncy castles to bungee runs – and we believe that this is the first time in the city that this amount has been in the same place at the same time; we’re really looking forward to welcoming people over the weekend!

“There is a fundraising element to the weekend, with both CLAN and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity being supported, but we really just want people, both young and old, to come along and join us for a day of family fun.”

Susan Crighton, CLAN’s fundraising manager, said:

“CLAN is thrilled to again be involved with a Bon Accord & St Nicholas fundraising day. The support CLAN has had from the centre, its staff and those who shop within it has been so valuable to the charity over the last years and we simply can’t thank them enough for their efforts.

“We certainly haven’t come across an event of this type in Aberdeen before and we’re looking forward to what will be a fun-filled, worthwhile day.”

Schools are also being encouraged to take part in the weekend, with sponsorship packages available for classes to get involved. Participating classes will be assigned an hour session where they can come down and join in the fun. A prize for the class who raises the most money will also be awarded.

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Langstane Press Name Their Charity Of The Year

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May 162016

With thanks to Susan Wood.

Langstane Press Ltd, Scotland’s largest independent office products company have chosen Aberlour Children’s Charity as their charity of the year.
Langstane have regional offices located close to a number of Aberlour services and are keen to help the local communities in which Aberlour works.

To launch their partnership, Langstane began collecting books and Easter eggs.

The staff had a huge uptake and delivered many boxes of books to Aberlour Family Service in Old Aberdeen.

The local service supports children and their families where parents may have learning difficulties or be socially isolated as well as supporting families affected by parental drug and alcohol use. Enough books and eggs were collected to be spread across services in Aberdeen, Dundee and Moray.

Colin Campbell Managing Director at Langstane Press said:

“We are proud to be supporting Aberlour this year and being able to help, not just the local services within the Aberdeen area, but also the services that support the communities close to our regional offices in Dundee and Livingston”

As well as donations like the books and eggs Langstane will be supporting Aberlour throughout the year, through in-house fundraising activities, taking part in events and volunteering.

Lydia Fyall, Regional Fundraiser said:

“I am looking forward to working with Langstane this year, the staff all really care about the work that we do. A number of brave employees have put themselves forward for individual events already and staff across all sites have lots of great fundraising ideas.”

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John Hartson Visits CLAN Cancer Support In Aberdeen

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May 132016

With thanks to Phil Moar, Account Manager, Citrus:Mix.

A leading north-east cancer support charity opened its doors to welcome a famous former footballer who himself has experienced his own cancer journey.
Aberdeen-based CLAN Cancer Support welcomed ex-Celtic, Arsenal and West Ham striker John Hartson to its CLAN House base on the city’s Westburn Road.

John took time out of his busy schedule to see first-hand the services and facilities the charity provides, speaking with CLAN clients and meeting some of the CLAN staff and volunteers who are based at the facility.

Diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 31, John formed his own charity, The John Hartson Foundation, in 2010, with the aim of increasing awareness of testicular cancer whilst helping raise money to support others affected by the illness.

The charity’s ‘Grab Life by the Balls’ campaign has continued to go from strength-to-strength, with males throughout the UK being shown a video featuring John sharing his own experience of testicular cancer alongside receiving advice and guidance on how they can check for early signs of the illness.

John Hartson said:

“Through my own experiences and work with The John Hartson Foundation I know how vital it is that people experiencing cancer have access to professional advice and support within their own communities.

“During my visit to CLAN I was impressed by the range of services provided by the organisation, across such a wide geographical area, and was pleased to be able to spend some time chatting with individuals the charity helps.”

Dr Colette Backwell, chief executive of CLAN Cancer Support, said:

“We were delighted to welcome John to CLAN House to see for himself the services, advice and information that we provide to our clients here in the north-east, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.

“John’s cancer journey is inspiring and the work his foundation carries out in promoting the importance of checking for early signs of the illness is vital. Support from individuals like John helps us to continue to raise awareness of our services, especially to men, and for that we can’t thank John enough for his time with us.”

CLAN Cancer Support is an independent charity which provides comfort support and information, free of charge, for anyone, of any age, affected by any type of cancer. CLAN aims to support people to reduce anxiety, stress and to increase their ability to cope with the effects of a serious illness.

Based in Aberdeen, the charity covers the whole of north-east Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland. CLAN has a presence in Ballater, Banchory, Elgin, Inverurie, Fraserburgh, Lossiemouth, Peterhead, Stonehaven, Turriff, Kirkwall and Lerwick.

For further information about CLAN Cancer Support please call (01224) 647 000 or visit www.clanhouse.org

For further information about The John Hartson Foundation please visit www.johnhartsonfoundation.co.uk

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North-east Superheroes Required For Fundraiser

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May 052016

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates.

An Aberdeen-based charity is encouraging north-east residents to be superheroes for one day later this month in order to help support disabled and disadvantaged children.

Cash for Kids is once again staging its annual Superhero Day, this year on Friday, 13 May.

The fundraiser gives people the opportunity to swap their normal Friday attire for a superhero costume.

Superhero Day is now in its fifth year and all of the money raised will assist sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people living in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

More than 60 businesses, schools and nurseries have already signed up to take part this year and Cash for Kids is confident that this will be the biggest Superhero Day yet. Those taking part include Denholm MacNamee, Bon Accord & St Nicholas Shopping Centre, Aberdeen Snowsports Centre, Arnold Clark, David Lloyd, QA Business Travel and many hairdressing salons across the north-east.

Domino’s Pizza is also fundraising for Superhero Day by donating £1 to Cash for Kids for every pizza it sells on the day. While customers to Yo Sushi and Fuel Juice Bar in the Bon Accord Centre will receive a 15% discount if they text donate £5 for Cash for Kids on Superhero Day and show their virtual receipt when paying at either business.

Superhero Day is one of a number of initiatives that employees from Denholm MacNamee will be undertaking to raise money for Cash for Kids. Staff from the Inverurie-based firm will take part in the Dunecht Dash and Baker Hughes 10k, amongst other races, to fundraise for the children’s charity.

Cash for Kids provides grant funding to individuals, families and community groups to support children and improve their quality of life. All of the money raised from Superhero Day will be used to fulfil grant applications in the next funding round, which closes on Friday, 29 July.

Whether it is classic children’s TV superheroes such as Spiderman, Batman, Bananaman, Super Gran and Wonder Woman, or characters from the upcoming Captain America and X-men films, the public are being urged to don a superhero costume and unleash their special fundraising powers to support children living in the north-east.

To get Superhero Day into gear, Northsound Radio presenter Pete McIntosh will be donning his superhero tights to take on a 40-mile cycling challenge. Dubbed the Tour de Pants, Pete will aim to complete a circular route from Aberdeen, taking in Westhill, Dyce and Bridge of Don, within four hours on the Friday morning. Deeside Thistle Cycling Club will provide support along the route, while Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative has donated a bike for the challenge.

Michelle Ferguson, Cash for Kids charity manager, said:

“Superhero Day is great way of putting the fun into fundraising. When we visit some of those businesses taking part there is always a really positive atmosphere and strong team spirit – clearly donning a superhero cape is a great teambuilding tool.

“Each year, Superhero Day grows in popularity and we expect this year’s to be the biggest yet. All of the money raised will stay in the north-east, helping to improve the lives of thousands of children and young people living in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Our quarterly grant funding scheme is unique and makes a huge, positive contribution to society.

“In addition to dressing up as a superhero, there are other ways to get involved in Superhero Day. People can stage a bake sale with kapow cupcakes, hold a superhero themed quiz or take on a challenge like Pete and get sponsored by friends and family. We’d encourage anyone who sees Pete pedalling through Westhill, Dyce and Bridge of Don on the Friday morning to cheer him on and donate some money to Cash for Kids.”

Companies or organisations that wish to get involved in Superhero Day can visit www.northsound1.com/superhero for more information. Anyone wishing to make a cash donation to Cash for Kids can do so via its website, or text NORTH to 70808 to donate £5 to the charity.

Cash for Kids is Northsound Radio’s listeners’ charity. It makes grants to individuals, families, children’s groups, organisations and projects throughout the Northsound transmission area. All money is raised locally and spent locally to benefit local disabled and disadvantaged children and young people under 18. More information on Cash for Kids can be found at www.northsound1.com/cashforkids, or telephone 01224 337010.

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Children Invited To Name New Charity Mascot

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Apr 292016

Home-Start Aberdeen’s new mascot is seeking a name.

With thanks to Clare Scott.

Family support charity Home-Start Aberdeen is inviting primary children throughout the city to help name their new charity mascot.

The mascot, a full-size furry brown bear, has recently joined the Home-Start Aberdeen team and is set to enjoy a busy schedule attending its various fundraising events and activities.

Given the charity’s work with children in the city, the Home-Start Aberdeen team felt it would be fitting to offer local primary classes the chance to decide the mascot name.

The winning class will receive their own Home-Start Aberdeen teddy bear, along with a visit from the newly named mascot.

“We are all very excited about the arrival of our latest furry team member,” says Georgette Cobban, scheme manager, Home-Start Aberdeen.

“The mascot will be invaluable in terms of raising awareness of our work in the city. We want him – or her – to appeal to as many of our young people as possible. For these reasons, we thought it would be appropriate – and fun – to ask city schoolchildren to help us to decide on a name.

“Our work is all about engaging with communities. We already enjoy very positive working relationships with local schools and the competition provides an opportunity to strengthen this relationship with both our education professionals and young people.

“We hope to receive lots of entries and are looking forward to seeing what the children come up with.”

Classes who wish to enter Home-Start Aberdeen’s mascot naming competition can do so by emailing their suggested name, along with their school, class and contact details to admin@homestartaberdeen.org.uk by Friday, 20 May.

Home-Start Aberdeen is one of Scotland’s largest Home-Start schemes. The charity provides local families with emotional and practical support in their own homes, via its team of trained home visiting volunteers. Further information about Home-Start Aberdeen is available at www.homestartaberdeen.org.uk or by calling 01224 693545.

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Sweet Partnership For Mental Health Aberdeen

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Apr 292016

With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

Jamie Hutcheon of Cocoa Ooze.

A north-east charity is set to get a sweet boost after establishing a partnership with a leading chocolatier.

Jamie Hutcheon of Cocoa Ooze, which specialises in unique handmade chocolate, and his team are hoping to raise awareness and funds through the link with Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA).

Employees will undertake a range of fundraising activities in the next 12 months to support the charity, which provides support services, counselling and advice to people affected by challenges related to mental health and wellbeing.

This includes emotional and practical support; information and advice; support with helping overcoming social isolation; links and access to other community resources; and activities promoting mental wellbeing.

Cocoa Ooze is planning to hold a charity dinner for MHA, as well as donating raffle prizes and a variety of other activities throughout the year.

Jamie said:

“Cocoa Ooze is delighted to be supporting Mental Health Aberdeen as our charity of the year. We chose the organisation because of the crucial work it does to help people throughout the north-east.

“Mental health is not spoken about enough and it affects a large number of people, who can often find it difficult to reach out for help. It can feel like a secret illness in some respects which people feel ashamed about and we want to help change that perception.

“It is a topic that should be discussed without stigma, and we hope to make a difference through the events and activities we will be involved in over the next twelve months.”

Astrid Whyte, chief executive of MHA, said gestures like that of the Cocoa Ooze team are even more crucial than ever in the current climate.

She said:

“We were absolutely delighted that Jamie and the team at Cocoa Ooze have chosen Mental Health Aberdeen as their charity of the year. In the current economic climate support like this is particularly appreciated and we are looking forward to building a relationship with them.

“Partnerships like this also help to raise our profile and build awareness of our services, which is absolutely essential. We want people to know we are here to help and what kind of services we offer.

“Mental Health Aberdeen works within the city and the north-east and our services range from youth counselling sessions to our Companions Befriending Service and Comraich community support service among others. There is huge demand for our services and we are working hard to meet that as well as continuing to improve our offering. Links with generous companies like Cocoa Ooze are a tremendous boost and make such a difference to us.”

MHA was founded in 1950 and the organisation was among the first to provide community care with its first residential project, a group home for discharged psychiatric patients, opened more than 35 years ago. MHA has also been providing day services continuously for over 60 years.

Further information is available online at www.mha.uk.net

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Special Commendation For ‘Dragons’ Glen’ Apprentices

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Apr 292016

A team of apprentices from Scottish fund management firm, Aberdeen Asset Management have been rewarded for their efforts in raising thousands of pounds for Scotland’s National Children’s Charity, Children 1st. With thanks to Beverley Tricker, Tricker PR.

Dragons Glen raises £150K for Children 1st Charity

(L to R) Scottish Entrepreneur Josh Littlejohn presents AAM apprentices, Constance Barelle, Maja Omorczyk, Stevie Low, Abbie Skene with their award in Edinburgh.

Five dedicated apprentices raised over £13,000 in just 6 weeks of fundraising as part of the Children 1st’s Dragons’ Glen initiative.

Dragon’s Glen is an entrepreneurial challenge for Scottish businesses which sees teams from across Scotland pitch for an investment of £500 and mentoring from a selected Dragon, who include some of Scotland’s most influential business leaders.

The team, comprising of Stevie Low, Maja Omorczyk, Abbie Skene, Constance Barelle and Phoenix Megginson received a special commendation for raising the largest amount of money in the shortest amount of time, collecting their award from Scottish entrepreneur Josh Littlejohn at a ceremony in Edinburgh on 20th April.

The Aberdeen Asset Management team reached their total of £13,527 by rolling out a number of fundraising activities in both their Aberdeen and Edinburgh offices. These included a Bonfire Night sponsored Fire Walk in Aberdeen, Office Bake Offs, Pub Quizzes, Friday Breakfast Rolls and a Team Piggybank Challenge. The funds raised by Aberdeen Asset Management, combined with the efforts of 16 other leading Scottish organisations, reached a grand total of £150,703.

Constance Barelle, one of the Aberdeen Asset Management apprentices, said:

“This whole experience has been an incredibly valuable and rewarding one for the whole team. To raise that much money in such a short space of time has been a real challenge, so we are really proud to have won this award and helped contribute to a fantastic total going to a great charity.”

The money raised will go towards supporting the work of Children 1st across Scotland. Children 1st provides practical advice and support to families in tough times and, when the worst happens, supports the survivors of abuse, neglect and other traumatic events in childhood to recover.

Lynn Brown, Apprentice Advisor at Aberdeen Asset Management, said:

“This challenge has been a great opportunity for the apprentices to work together towards a common goal. They raised an amazing amount in such a short time and everyone in the office is very proud of their achievement”

Dragons’ Glen is a unique opportunity for companies to engage employees and support them to develop a range of skills. 92% of participants report an improvement in communication and 95% an improvement in entrepreneurship.

Barbara Kidd, Director of Fundraising for Children 1st said:

“The amount raised by Dragons’ Glen is phenomenal – enough to provide six months of support for 250 children and families who need help to overcome abuse or make homes safer for children. We could not do this work without our corporate partners.”

Since its launch in 2012, Dragons’ Glen has raised over £280,000. It continues to grow in popularity and now takes part in five cities across Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. Children 1st is now accepting entries for the 2016-17 challenge, which starts in September.

To find out more about Dragons’ Glen, please visit www.children1st.org.uk/dragons-glen

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Charity Boss Scoops Two Prestigious Awards

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Apr 222016

With thanks to Future Choices.

Local man, David Forbes has recently been awarded with two prestigious awards at a special awards ceremony hosted by entertainment and events company Wobia Entertainment House.

The awards ceremony recognises a vast amount of people from all walks of life to recognise the contribution they give to society.

David, Future Choices charity boss explained:

“The public were encouraged to vote for me for Male Role Model of the Year, which in itself is a huge honour. To win, however, is simply amazing and feels incredible., so I want to say a massive thanks to those that voted for me.”

David was then awarded Special Recognition for Services to Humanity.

The Charity Boss added:

“When you do things that you love doing and you see it benefiting others, that is in my view the best ever feeling, seeing people who can be so isolated, smile, that’s just priceless.”

David runs the local voluntary charity every Tuesday at Inchgarth Community Centre from 11am -2pm, and the group provides vital social inclusion for those who may not get out and about due to many life challenges. Visit www.future-choices.org.uk

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Final Call For CLAN Annual Lunch Event

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Apr 142016

With thanks to Phil Moar, Account Manager, Citrus:Mix.

A leading north-east charity has issued a final call for businesses and individuals to get involved with one of its most-popular events of the year.

CLAN Cancer Support’s annual fundraising lunch is set to take place at Ardoe House Hotel and Spa on Wednesday, April 20.

Individual tickets to attend the event, which has established itself as one of the charity’s most important of the year, are still up for grabs alongside the few last remaining table packages.

Alongside a two-course lunch, auction, raffle and a host of stalls for shopping, guests will also hear the inspirational story of Theresa Rollo, a CLAN client who herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.

Theresa will share some of her thoughts on her journey from throughout the last 10 years as well as how she has tried to give something back to the charity that helped her, completing a range of events in support of CLAN including the charity’s own Landmark Walk and the London Marathon.

All money raised from the lunch, which is again supported this year by BP, goes towards CLAN’s provision of free support services to anyone affected by cancer across north-east Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.

Susan Crighton, CLAN’s fundraising manager, said:

“The CLAN lunch is a hugely important fundraising tool for us and always such a great event. Year-on-year we are delighted with the level of support shown towards it and we hope we can rely on that once more.

“This is a great opportunity for local businesses and individuals to make a tremendous difference to us by getting involved with the event. We are very flexible with options for support with both individual and table tickets available. All tickets sold ultimately help us raise money that will allow CLAN to continue the crucial work it carries out throughout the north-east.”

Those interested in purchasing a ticket for the event can contact CLAN’s fundraising team on 01224 647000 or email fundraising@clanhouse.org

For further information about CLAN Cancer Support please call (01224) 647 000 or visit www.clanhouse.org

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Charity’s Tower Of Beds Dwarfs Aberdeen Landmark

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Apr 082016

Kirk of St Nicholas and 350 mattresses graphic

A graphic illustrating the Kirk of St Nicholas and the stack of 350 mattresses representing the beds the charity has provided thanks to previous appeals.

With thanks to Ian McLaren, Innes Associates.

A north-east charity has taken an unusual step in its efforts to highlight the growing scale of childhood poverty that exists in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Cash for Kids, which has once again been running an appeal to raise money for new children’s beds, has calculated that when all the beds it has provided through its three previous appeals are piled one on top of the other, they stand taller than Aberdeen’s Kirk of St Nicholas.

The well-known city landmark stands at 59m from the ground to the tip of its spire making it the joint fifth tallest building in Aberdeen.

The towering pile of 350 mattresses provided by the charity so far would reach a staggering 63m.

Fundraisers say their lengthy calculation puts into perspective the alarming number of requests it has received for beds for north-east children who have to share beds with siblings or even sleep on a mattress on the floor.

Cash for Kids charity manager Michelle Ferguson said:

“We wanted to visibly demonstrate the alarming statistics about the number of disabled and disadvantaged children in Aberdeen and across the north-east who simply don’t have their own bed to sleep in.

“We’ve helped more than 350 children since we began the appeal three years ago and the positive impact that these beds have on the lives of these children and their families is very significant. Last year, we provided beds for four children in one family and they were all so pleased with their new beds that on the day they were delivered they invited their neighbours in to see the beds.”

This year Cash for Kids has been running its annual bed appeal to raise £20,000 to enable the purchase of 150 beds for disabled and disadvantaged children under the age of 16 living in the local area who do not have a bed of their own. The appeal once again highlights the issue of poverty in the region that is often hidden.

The 2016 appeal once again featured the unique Scottish Bed Making Championship, which was held at the Crowne Plaza Aberdeen Airport Hotel on Thursday, 31 March. The contest tested teams of four on their bed making precision and speed, with points being awarded for each task. A special blindfolded round was included, which made the task of putting a duvet cover on a duvet rather challenging for some teams.

John Lewis and a number of Aberdeen’s top hotels took part in the event which culminated in a bed making race between the two fastest teams from the earlier heats. It was a repeat of the 2015 final as teams from the Aberdeen Altens Hotel and Crerar Thainstone House Hotel went head to head to be crowned Scottish Bed Making Champions.

In a close finish, the Crerar Thainstone House Hotel team of Nicole Chapman, Alan Curtis, Colin Grieve and Lynn McRae showed that they were bed making kings and queens, clinching the title by a fraction of a second. All proceeds from the contest were donated to the Cash for Kids Bed Appeal.

For more information on the Bed Appeal visit www.northsound1.com/bed.

Cash for Kids is Northsound Radio’s listeners’ charity. It makes grants to individuals, families, children’s groups, organisations and projects throughout the Northsound transmission area. All money is raised locally and spent locally to benefit local disabled and disadvantaged children and young people under 18. More information on Cash for Kids can be found at www.northsound1.com/cashforkids, or telephone 01224 337010.

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