Support Archives - Page 6 of 19

CLAN Announces Additions To Board

Dec 162016

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

Seona Shand, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce. Pic: Donald Stewart

CLAN Cancer Support is delighted to announce a number of appointments to its board of directors. Leigh Stott, Stuart Cochrane and Seona Shand have joined the charity’s board and Andrew Lawtie has taken on an ambassadorial role.
The board is responsible for the continuing development of support services on offer, with each member bringing forward their own personal expertise and knowledge in a specific area.

Managing director at Hunter Adams Limited, Leigh wanted to give something back to the charity that helped support her mother.

Since joining Hunter Adams, Leigh has worked with organisations in over 20 sectors, gaining a wealth of experience in human resources.

Leigh Stott said:

“I lost my mum to cancer 23 years ago. This was my first introduction to CLAN and the support she received during this difficult time was outstanding and something that I will always be grateful for.

“The impact of a cancer diagnosis can have such far reaching impact on the individual and their families and friends, but the service and support CLAN can provide during such a difficult time can be an enormous help.

“I am looking forward to working with CLAN and sharing my knowledge and experience from an HR and business perspective. For me it is about continuing to help CLAN raise awareness through the local community but also supporting the team in their annual fundraising goals.”

Stuart Cochrane, director of FWB Park Brown, has more than 25 years’ experience within the energy industry where he progressed to senior management level in both the USA and Europe.

Stuart joined Park Brown International as a Director in 2002, acquired the company in 2008 and in 2013 joined the board of FWB Park Brown on its merger with FWB.

He said:

“I’m delighted to be joining the CLAN board and I am very much looking forward to using my professional expertise to help the charity.

“I have had recent experience of the invaluable support that CLAN provides during and after cancer treatment and it is my aim to help it achieve its ambitions to grow without compromising on the levels of support it provides.”

Seona Shand, Membership Network Manager at the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, is looking forward to using her experience to help the charity. She previously worked as Head of Fundraising and Marketing at Inspire.

Seona said:

“As I’ve worked as a fundraiser in the third sector for over ten years I completely understand the difficulties in having to raise awareness and much-needed funds to ensure that the work of charities such as CLAN can continue for years to come.

“If I can do something positive and put my skills to good use in order to make the lives of those living with or affected by cancer as positive an experience as possible then I will have achieved all I can.”

Andrew Lawtie joins the charity in a specially created role of Children and Family Services ambassador.

He said:

“I am delighted to become CLAN’s ambassador for Children and Family Services and to support the organisation in its invaluable work.

“My motivation to help stems from my own personal experiences of living and dealing with cancer. My son Stuart was diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer and sadly died at the age of 27.”

Andrew has a wealth of experience across the public, private and third sectors. For the past five years, he and his wife Sheila have organised and delivered a successful national conference ‘Managing the Challenges of Cancer in Children and Young People’. These have been held in various Scottish locations in memory of Stuart.

CLAN Chairman, Kenny Anderson said:

“I am very pleased to welcome Leigh, Seona and Stuart to the Board. As a local charity providing support services in the heart of communities throughout Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland it is essential we maintain a strong, robust and diverse Board particularly in these challenging economic times.

“These appointments strengthen the Board’s skillset to allow us to support CLAN’s senior management team, the staff, our hundreds of volunteers and of course, most importantly the individuals and families from these communities who benefit from our services.”

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

“CLAN is fortunate to have a number of committed, experienced ambassadors. For the first time, however, CLAN has appointed a dedicated children and families’ ambassador to support and highlight CLAN’s commitment to supporting children, teenagers and their families. In Andrew, we have found someone who can bring personal experience to help develop and promote the service.

“Our board members all give their time and expertise freely and I am looking forward to working closely with them and utilising their experience to ensure that CLAN remains a leading charity provider of cancer support services in the north-east, Orkney and Shetland.”

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, Buckie, Inverurie, Fraserburgh, Lossiemouth, Peterhead, Stonehaven, Turriff, Kirkwall and Lerwick.

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

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CLAN Seek Dippers To Take The Plunge On Boxing Day

Aberdeen City, Charity No Responses »

Dec 162016

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

A leading north-east charity is appealing for fearless souls to undertake a popular Boxing Day dip on its behalf.

CLAN Cancer Support is taking part in the Nippy Dippers swim at Aberdeen beach on Boxing Day and is again looking for a group of hardy volunteers to help raise funds for the charity.

All money brought in from the popular event organised by Aberdeen Lions Club helps CLAN provide free cancer support services across the north-east of Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.

Susan Crighton, CLAN’s fundraising manager, said:

“The dip is a great example of really challenging yourself to do something for charity and we would be delighted for people to come forward to take part on behalf of CLAN.

“The event has really grown in popularity in recent years and despite the freezing conditions, we are always thrilled with the response we get from participants keen to support us.

“The atmosphere on the day is fantastic and I would urge anyone interested in taking part to get in touch with us to find out more. “

The event begins at 10.30am on Boxing Day. For further information please contact CLAN’s Aimee Nekrews on 01224 651034 or email aimee.nekrews@clanhouse.org. Registration is highly recommended to ensure a place.

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.

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Dons Fans’ Open Letter To Club

Opinion, Sport No Responses »

Dec 162016

Stephen McCormick recently quit his role as AFC display organiser describing the club as “impossible to deal with.”

By Red Fin Hall.

Recently I wrote about the situation regarding the lack of respect and communication between Aberdeen Football Club, The Supporter’s Liaison Officer within the club, and fans/supporters trying to create a better atmosphere at games via displays etc.

It appears that in some cases they, or more factually correct, people within the club, have, at some point, been actively trying to discourage said displays.

To this end a group of supporters have written an open letter to the board of the club emphasising the need for better communication and co-operation with the supporters. The fans keep getting told, “You are the 13th man.”

Feelings within the supporters at large, is that there is not much confidence that this is true. Even with the prospect of a new stadium coming, Mr Milne only said that there: ‘may be a standing area built within Kingsford’ – not that there would definitely be one. Also there was still no mention of the possibility of there being a bar within, and not just one for the corporate guests, but a public one.

There seems, at this moment in time, a lesser dialogue between the club and the fans than perhaps is perceived.

Below is the open letter.

Dear Duncan George & Stewart

We are writing this to you regarding matters this season and seasons past involving, failure on part of AFC to adequately engage with Aberdeen supporters, treatment of Aberdeen Supporters and in more detail treatment of those in the Merkland Singing Section.

Issues such as, but are not limited to the following areas:

– A reply to questions put to AFC as to why AFC were contacting other clubs in Scotland attempting to discourage match day supporter displays.

– Why the club lied at recent AGM telling the floor they had been in contact with those responsible for the stunning League Cup Final display at Hampden and thanking them when this simply isn’t the case .

– Appointinment of Community Trust chief executive as SLO just to appease UEFA competition guidelines.

– Appointment of a Supporters Liaison Officer (SLO) into the Club without consultation with Supporters groups / Supporters Trust or wider fan base etc

– Failure of said SLO to engage with supporters groups on a day-to-day basis in order to facilitate a more enjoyable and effective match day experience

– Failure of said SLO to engage with supporters groups for major games and to facilitate smooth access to Pittodrie and other stadia to be visited

– Failure of SLO to engage positively with Supporters groups and other clubs in order to facilitate a coordinated and organized approach to maximizing noise generation and fan displays at away games

– Actively and physically segregating, pressurizing and marginalizing of fans in the Merkland Singing section from other fans through use of hostile stewarding, “dead zone” seating strips and general poor attitude shown towards supporters wishing to support their team in a positive manner.

– Misleading information regarding occupancy of Merkland block seating in order to undermine the success of the initiative and prevention of other fans joining the section throughout the game.

– Failure to plan effectively for League Cup Final to ensure effective noise generation in order to back the team effectively by refusing to allocate area for vocal fans .

– Failure of AFC across internal departments (General management, Stadium Access, Ticketing, security etc in order to facilitate an organized and structured and most importantly a respectful approach to AFC supporting individuals working on an unpaid volunteer basis in order to encourage the team positively and to enhance the matchday experience for many people.

The recent League Cup Final showed that AFC has little regard to its fans wider match day experience and even less for creating a spectacle and that the Cup final atmosphere would “look after itself” as one AFC official was quoted as saying.

Anyone who witnessed the Cup final was that those that made the effort and expense of travelling to Glasgow to set up the pre match display done a fantastic effort given that there was no input nor even the respect of reply from AFC from requests from fans made to make the day a spectacle and an positive atmosphere for the duration of the match.

The lack of Aberdeen supporter positive atmosphere generation, particularly after going a goal down (and then more) was very evident.Had there been an area for vocal fans this could have helped create a louder backing for the team.

No doubt AFC will be using footage and photography from the matches with flags, card displays etc for future marketing material, all the while actively discouraging it and disregarding the fact that positive fan interaction does make a difference to the team on the park is wholly unacceptable.

We request the following:

–    AFC immediately engage with their staff & AFC fans representatives in order to stop these negative aspects reoccurring
–    Appoint a fan elected SLO – one that has a wide understanding or proven background in match day supporter participation, supporter liaison, match day display management.
–    Empower the SLO to form a positive working relationship with the Aberdeen support and other clubs respective SLO’s to ensure that the team, the supporters (the customers) are all given the correct priority support to ensure forward progress is made on all levels.
–    Ensure that the SLO is meeting the reasonable expectations of the Club, AFC support and wider regulatory bodies such as the Police and other Football Clubs etc.
–    The SLO is active in meeting with AFC fans to gather detailed information on future stadia requirements from the “in game” perspective.

We have a supporter in mind, someone who has engaged with the support and more importantly is respected by the support .The same fan has put on many a spectacle at Aberdeen FC games at home and away for the best part of 20 years .He has organised some of the best displays in the UK, helped add colour to AFC centenary events.Always paid tribute to fans who have sadly passed. He is great with the kids and young fans and always gets them involved .

The fans trust him and he’s known throughout the support as he’s always present .

We have a petition that hundreds of fans have signed asking that the club appoint Stephen McCormick as our Supporters Liaison Officer. With the amount of work he has done over the years, dealing with clubs up and down the country, having to deal with the SFA and SPFL he has already proven he has a vast knowledge of modern day football and its supporters.

We look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Signed

Dons fans voice collective.

Also, in my last article regarding this, I mentioned that Stephen contributed out of his own pocket. It has since been pointed out to me that the displays have been fully funded by fan contribution. He is the organiser, and has only contributed as a fan. He wished this to be clear.

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Disgruntled Dons Display Organiser Quits

Opinion, Sport No Responses »

Dec 062016

Stephen McCormick quits his role as display organiser for AFC describing the club as “impossible to deal with.”

With thanks to Red Fin Hall.

In recent years, there have been various splendid displays at Aberdeen Football Club matches, most notably perhaps, at the 2014 and 2016 League Cup finals, arranged by one man, Stephen McCormick, aka Mezzanine.

The finances for undertaking this mammoth undertaking came totally out of his own pocket and from fan donations.

The last one, the stunning 20,000 red and silver flag waving display at November’s final, arguably the only positive thing about the match, cost in the region of £10,000.

AFC, like all clubs, have a Supporter’s Liason Officer (SLO). The one at Aberdeen is Ally Proctor. He is also the CEO of the Community Trust. Despite this, he has never, ever gone to any SLO roadshows, or communicated anything to help with the final display. His title just seems to an obligatory one to appease UEFA.

The so called ‘family club’ are now taking on the appearance of being anything but.

Here, in his own words, are Stephen’s reasons for his decision to discontinue putting on displays at Pittodrie.

“I spoke with a few folk involved in the display project and family and friends in the weeks leading up to the Final. Sunday’s final will be my last involvement with displays and those I spoke to fully understand why.

“The club held its AGM on Monday and a shareholder asked Milne, Yule and Fraser about those behind the display and a vote of thanks was agreed, Im not sure what that means but Milne said they had been in touch with the organisers. I can assure you now we haven’t been thanked by any of them. So he blatantly lied to a room full of shareholders.

“They had an opportunity to put some money towards the display as well but we had a deadline to meet to place the order. We had to go through the Operations department, they were meant to relay info to our chief exec to keep him up to speed as to where we were at with the funds, I received an email at 9 pm on a Saturday night from him asking where we were at despite telling Operations on a daily basis.

“They dragged their heels so we had to look elsewhere, the DST lent us £2500 which we paid back. Production of 20,000 flags takes time. I asked our chief exec if he would still like to donate something like a bus for volunteers. I never got a reply but the DST did and the club said they couldn’t do a bus as they would all be booked.

“I called Central Coaches, same firm the club use and got a bus straight away, the DST offered to pay half of that which was a lovely gesture.

“The club are impossible to deal with, they hate me that’s for sure because I stand up to them and won’t allow them to treat those giving up their spare time like dirt. How can I work with a club that contacts Ian Low at Dundee United, or the operations Manager at Inverness Caley and try and talk them into banning us from doing display at their grounds?

“When we did a foil display in the Shed at Tannadice I was taken aside and told they (DUFC) would do anything they possibly could to make sure our display was a success, which it was. DUFC and ICT both couldn’t understand why any club wouldn’t want their own fans to add as much colour to the games.

“The League Cup final at ParkRed for example the club did absolutely nothing to assist us. I had to deal with the SPFL, Celtic,and the police and all were very helpful.

“The club were quick to sell framed pictures at £70 a pop in the club shop of the display, I was never offered one.

“This display was a huge task and thankfully I had a great team to share the load, some of them will continue Im sure but after witnessing how I’m treated they will probably do future displays away from home.

“At Hampden, Motherwell, Celtic, Inverness, Ibrox, Tannadice, I have always been made welcome and always get a glowing report of how organised we were. Its just our club that make life extremely difficult to do anything and I’ve had enough.

“We also have a SLO at our club, a role given to someone in the community trust just to appease UEFA, a SLO should be someone that is known to the support and is helpful to the supporters, ours didn’t even get in touch leading up to the final, Im not even going to mention his name but another ex-cop who nobody within the support knows. Im in regular contact with SLOs at other clubs as well as Supporters direct etc and kept up to date with matters.

“It was very humbling for the support to put so much faith in me at the last 2 finals and to donate such an incredible amount was just staggering, I had several sleepless nights leading up to this game but I knew as soon as I knew the materials we would use what I was going to do. Without the supporters kindness and participation I’d never have been able to do any of them.

“Thanks also to those that helped me make it happen, you know who you are.

“Thank you all once again and good luck to those who want to try and add some colour in the future. Time to spend some time with those that are far more important than football, my amazing family.”

To say that the fans I have spoke to are annoyed at this situation is an understatement. He went on to say,

“A SLO is someone who the support have known for years, someone they have faith in. I have proved over the years that the fans have faith in me, fundraising, centenary celebrations, loads of displays, football competitions, set ups, social media. Been in touch with them for best part of 20 years.

“I also never lie to the support, that’s the one thing that winds me up about our club, I could tell you some stories like.”

Independently, another fan has set up a petition to replace the current SLO with somebody who has more interest in fulfilling his position that the title suggests.

Let’s hope that the club is taken to task over this and things change in the future.

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Fundraisers Have A Ball At CLAN Christmas Cracker

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Dec 062016

CLAN logo2 With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

People from across the north-east joined forces at the weekend to raise thousands of pounds for a leading cancer support charity at its largest fundraising event of the year.

A total of 230 guests raised £38,600.00 at CLAN Cancer Support’s Christmas Cracker which was held at Ardoe House Hotel and Spa on Saturday, November 26.

The annual fundraising event, which sees individuals and businesses from across the north-east come together in support of the charity, included a drinks reception, three-course dinner, entertainment and dancing.

The Kilted Chef Craig Wilson from one of Aberdeenshire’s leading fine-dining restaurants, Eat on the Green, donated one of the main prizes for auction on the evening.

His VIP Pop-up Party package raised £7,500 and the winner will be treated to a luxury meal prepared by Craig at a location and date of their choice. The prize also includes a butler service as well as a singer and a piper.

The money raised on the evening will go towards the continued development of the wellbeing and support services offered by CLAN, free of charge, to anyone affected by cancer across north-east Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.

Dr Colette Backwell, CLAN’s chief executive, said:

“Our annual Christmas Cracker Ball is always very popular and it was great to see such a great turnout at Ardoe House Hotel and Spa on the night.

“It was a terrific evening, with the event bringing the magic of Christmas alive, and we are truly grateful to each individual and organisation that supported the event and helped to raise such a fantastic total by the end of the night.

“The money raised will help us deliver vital cancer support services right in the heart of communities from Stonehaven in the south to Orkney and Shetland in the north.

“We are committed to providing this support as close to the heart of communities as we can so that we make a difference to as many people as possible who are affected by a cancer diagnosis. The continued support of our fundraising events by so many people and businesses across the region means so much to us all at CLAN.”

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

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Charity To Pilot Drop-In Support Service In City Centre

Aberdeen City, Charity No Responses »

Dec 012016

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

MHAthm Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA) is piloting a support service within the city centre to gauge demand for a permanent drop-in presence.

The charity is providing the service, called The Club, every Friday afternoon from the Health Village in Frederick Street for an initial period of eight weeks, offering free support, information and services to anyone affected by challenges related to mental health and wellbeing.

The aim is to provide support in an accessible location for people and explore the possibility of gaining funding to make the drop-in club permanent.

Astrid Whyte, chief executive of MHA, said:

“As a charity we are always looking for the best ways to provide help and support and we have wanted to gauge demand for a drop-in style service for some time. We want to let people know that they do not have to suffer alone as help, advice and resources are available.

“Each person that reaches out to us has made a difficult first step and we want to ensure they are supported as quickly as possible. The drop-in offers us a different way of doing that and early sessions have indicated quite a high uptake which indicates the need to provide help in this way. We plan to run The Club until Christmas before moving forward and trying to gain longer term funding.

“MHA is hoping to expand our service to offer this facility on a permanent basis but that is dependent on securing enough funding. We are optimistic we can achieve this and introduce what we believe will become a hugely important means of support for people in need.”

The Club runs every Friday from 1.3-pm to 4pm at the Health Village in Frederick Street.

MHA was founded in 1950 and provides support services, counselling and advice to people affected by challenges related to mental health and wellbeing. Services are available for children from the age of 12 and adults.

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.

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Santas On The Run To Gift Children’s Charity

Featured No Responses »

Nov 282016

With thanks to Yvette Rayner, PR Account Manager, Frasermedia.

asv-santa-1 Budding Santas are being urged to don their festive gear to bring some cheer to a children’s charity.

Christmas is all about giving and a fun-filled festive event at Aberdeen’s world-class sports facility is offering people of all ages the chance to join lots of cheery Santas to give something back.

Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV), in Linksfield Road, is hosting its first ever Santa Run and Obstacle Course, in aid of Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS).

The seasonal sporting extravaganza will take place at the Chris Anderson Stadium at ASV on Saturday, 10th December 2016.

The entry fee of £12.50 for adults and £7 for children includes a Santa suit with a hat, and sporty Santas can run, jog or walk the one-mile race and/or the one-mile obstacle course. No previous experience or fitness level is required and the event is open to fun-filled Aberdonians of all ages, from children to grandparents.

CEO of ASV, Duncan Sinclair, said:

“Christmas is coming and it is time to don our Santa hats and get festive! The Santa run is the ideal way to kick off your Christmas season and gift donations to a very worthy children’s charity. The one-mile race and short obstacle course will not be too tough but are the perfect opportunity to get some exercise while celebrating the most wonderful time of the year.

“ASV is delighted to be supporting CHAS as they do a fantastic job caring for babies and children with life-shortening conditions. It is important to think of others at Christmas so we urge as many people to come along to our Santa Run as possible.”

Emma Moore, community fundraiser at CHAS, said:

“We’re really excited that Aberdeen Sports Village has chosen to support CHAS with proceeds from their first ever Santa run event. It is shaping up to be a really fun day out for runners and non-runners alike, and we’re definitely looking forward to seeing everyone in their Santa suits!

“At CHAS, we put a huge emphasis on producing memories, so that families make the most of the precious moments they have together. This event is no exception, we hope people in and around Aberdeen will get behind it and sign up to take part!

“CHAS is the only national hospice charity in Scotland, which provides care to babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions. Our CHAS at Home service operates across Aberdeenshire and we have two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch.”

Entries for the Aberdeen Santa run and obstacle race can be made at www.entrycentral.com.

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CLAN Marks 5th Anniversary Of Move To CLAN House

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Nov 252016

CLAN logo2 With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

It began life in 1983, founded by a group of passionate individuals determined to improve cancer services across the region.

From its beginnings in Aberdeen’s Justice Mill Lane to the purchase of the former Rosemount Church at Caroline Place in 1994, CLAN Cancer Support has come a long way since it was first conceived.

The charity is now celebrating five years since it moved into its purpose designed premises at CLAN House on Westburn Road, and is reflecting on how its service provision both in Aberdeen and many other communities, has developed during this time.

Following the launch of a £3 million fundraising campaign in 2008 to fund its new headquarters in Aberdeen, CLAN has also invested in the provision of services within the heart of local communities, developing a presence in Ballater, Banchory, Elgin, Inverurie, Fraserburgh, Lossiemouth, Peterhead, Buckie, Stonehaven and Turriff on the mainland as well as on Shetland and Orkney.

In addition to the local bases, the charity’s bed and breakfast facility, which was first established when CLAN was based at Caroline Place, was able to expand with the opening of CLAN House.

CLAN Haven is a purpose built facility offering 27 en-suite bedrooms as well as a fully equipped kitchen and dining area and relaxing communal areas offering accommodation for people travelling from out with the city for treatment and appointments at Aberdeen hospitals. Family members are also welcome to stay, and the facility has become a crucial part of CLAN’s service offering.

Dr Colette Backwell, chief executive of CLAN, said:

“As we mark five years in CLAN House this is a poignant time to reflect on how far CLAN has come in that time. Since CLAN’s humble beginnings there has always been a great sense of community and this fifth anniversary is about celebrating that.

“We have a tremendous team spanning volunteers, supporters and staff which plays an incredibly important part in the CLAN network. Together everyone works tirelessly with the aim of bringing the highest quality support to where it is needed most and addressing local community needs as they change and develop.

“The fundraising campaign that allowed us to first open the doors of CLAN House was a fantastic achievement for us and the hard work has continued since then. We continue to build on our fundraising efforts each year in order to support work across the north-east as we do our upmost to assist anyone who has been affected by a cancer diagnosis.

“Our previous centre was a very special place and we were able to build aspects from the church into our new base – sections of stained glass windows and other features for example – to ensure such an important part of our history was taken with us as we started the next chapter of CLAN’s development.

“CLAN House has allowed us to expand to meet changing needs and continue to look towards the future. The extension of the Haven in particular was crucial, as it is a unique facility which benefits people from far and wide and provides a home from home in a relaxed but supportive atmosphere. This, alongside the growth of our outreach services, has brought our offering closer to people, with greater availability of crucial cancer support services in the heart of communities.”

CLAN’s children and family service has also grown in the five years since the charity moved into CLAN House, expanding its reach to include support in a number of CLAN’s community bases – all of which allow it to provide a crucial range of support to children, young people and their families.

Whether in the community or at one of CLAN’s centres, the team offers a dedicated and confidential service that allows children, young people and their families to share thoughts and fears they are experiencing as a result of a cancer diagnosis.

Dr Backwell added:

“The communities that CLAN works within really are at the heart of the charity. We are committed to ensuring that we are providing the services and support that people need to find comfort through a cancer diagnosis. We will continue to work towards meeting that aim and taking on board feedback from the areas we currently serve.

“It is incredible to think about how much has been achieved in the past five years and we are determined to build on this success. We are passionate about maintaining our relations with communities, and ensuring that CLAN continues to provide the support required in the heart of local communities for years to come.”

Based in Aberdeen, the charity covers the whole of north-east Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland. CLAN has a presence in Ballater, Banchory, Buckie, 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

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Generous Response To Children’s Book Appeal

Aberdeen City, Charity No Responses »

Nov 172016

With thanks to Clare Scott, Communications Consultant, CJS Communication & Marketing.

28/10/16 Home start Chair- Roberta Eunson-

Home-Start Aberdeen’s chairperson, Roberta Eunson, with a book bundle ready for delivery.

An Aberdeen-based family support charity has been overwhelmed by the response to an appeal for donations of children’s books towards its 2016 book advent.

Home-Start Aberdeen launched the book advent appeal in September. The initiative encourages parents to read a book with their children each day in December prior to Christmas.

It is believed that reading together encourages families to bond, as well as helping with literacy, communication and imaginative skills.

The charity, which works with local families who are vulnerable or suffering from isolation, was inundated with interest. Sufficient donations of books were received well within the stipulated cut-off date of 4 November.

Home-Start Aberdeen representatives have now received and wrapped a total of 2225 books. These have been stacked into bundles of 25 books for each of the 89 Home-Start Aberdeen families who asked if they could be included in this year’s book advent.

Roberta Eunson, Home-Start Aberdeen’s chairperson, said:

“The support we have received in connection with this year’s book advent has been fantastic.

“Our thanks go out to all of the playgroups, schools, community organisations, businesses and individuals who have collected books on our behalf. We are also very grateful to Kirsty Blackman MP and Peter Vardy Aberdeen who offered their premises as additional book collection points.

“Our final thank you goes to the volunteers who worked tirelessly to sort all the donated books into age-appropriate bundles and beautifully gift wrap them. The book bundles will bring tremendous enjoyment to the families Home-Start Aberdeen supports and we are looking forward to distributing them prior to 1 December.”

2016 is the third year of the Home-Start Aberdeen book advent. Demand for books has grown alongside the charity’s own development. Now one of the largest Home-Start schemes in the UK, Home-Start Aberdeen supports around 180 families, including 297 children, per year. Its unique blend of emotional and practical support is delivered by over 100 trained volunteers, who visit their allocated family each week in their own home.

Further information about Home-Start Aberdeen is available at www.homestartaberdeen.org.uk, or by calling (01224) 693545.

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Mission Launched To Provide Christmas Gifts To Local Children

Aberdeenshire, News No Responses »

Nov 172016

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

A North-east charity has launched its annual festive gift appeal as it aims to ensure thousands of local underprivileged children receive a present this Christmas.
Cash for Kids has launched its Mission Christmas gift appeal which is once again being supported by The Wood Foundation, the philanthropic organisation founded by Sir Ian Wood.

Last year, Mission Christmas guaranteed that over 6,800 children living in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire had a present to open on Christmas morning.

With recent estimates suggesting that 18% of children in Aberdeen and 13% of children in Aberdeenshire live in poverty, Cash for Kids anticipates a similar volume of applications this year.

The children’s charity is calling on north-east residents to purchase one extra child’s gift when shopping this Christmas and donate it to the Mission Christmas appeal or donate money which the charity will use to fill any gift gaps. Buying shopping centre vouchers is also recommended as this can provide teenagers with the freedom to choose items they prefer.

Over 120 donation points have been set up across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire where people can drop off new, unwrapped gifts. The deadline for donating items is Friday, 16 December, however the public are encouraged to donate items prior to this to ensure all gift applications are fulfilled in time.

In order to cope with the anticipated volume of donations and number of applications, the appeal is being coordinated from a new warehouse this year. The modern facility has been donated free of charge by Knight Property Group and M&G Real Estate for the duration of the appeal.

For a sixth consecutive year, Aberdeen-based haulier Colin Lawson Transport is supporting the appeal. The firm is providing a dedicated driver and vehicle to collect the gifts from donation points across the north-east.

An army of volunteers will be giving their time to sort through donations and allocate them against applications to provide each child with three gifts with a combined value of approximately £50. With at least 20,000 items expected to be required to meet demand, the scale of the task ahead for Mission Christmas 2017 is clear.

To help raise funds for the appeal Cash for Kids is holding its Christmas Jumper Day on Friday, 09 December. The day encourages local businesses and schools to persuade their employees and pupils to don their favourite festive knits and donate £1 per person to Mission Christmas.

Michelle Ferguson, Cash for Kids charity manager (pictured), said:

“Mission Christmas generates a huge response each year and we are extremely grateful to everyone who donates a gift, time or resources. We are very pleased to have The Wood Foundation supporting the appeal once more, helping to highlight the issue and causes of child poverty in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

“Gift and voucher donations are fantastic, but monetary donations can also make a huge difference. They allow us to purchase items for age groups where there are gaps. A monetary donation of £10 is equivalent to foregoing two extra tubs of chocolates this Christmas or a week’s worth of take-away coffee and would help to ensure no child in the north-east goes without this Christmas. Every little help, really does help.”

Sir Ian Wood, chairman of The Wood Foundation, said:

“To know that there are children right now, living in the north-east of Scotland who may not experience the excitement of receiving a special gift on Christmas morning is incredibly sad. In Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire, poverty is often not as apparent as in other parts of Scotland, with the result that it often goes unrecognised and unaddressed.

“By supporting the work Cash for Kids does with the Mission Christmas appeal for the second year, The Wood Foundation hopes that every child across the north-east will feel the magic of Christmas this year.”

More information on the appeal, including a full list of donation points and information on the Christmas jumper day, can be found at www.northsound1.com/missionchristmas.

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