M&S store links up with East Kilbride dementia charity
East Kilbride Dementia Carers Group have been announced as the official charity partner of Marks and Spencer Kingsgate.
Every year the charity, which provides support for dementia sufferers and their families, must raise £41,000 just to keep their unrivalled services going.
By bringing in the cash the store will be helping ensure the Greenhills-based charity can continue to provide dementia sufferers with life-changing personalised care and offer much-needed support to their families and carers.
Chairman Brian Doig said: “This is tremendous news and will help us considerably in generating publicity, awareness, and muchneeded funds.
“We are looking forward very much to meeting with our new partners and planning some events that will get our new joint venture up and running with a bang.
“M&S staff voted from a shortlist of charities, and to have been selected by the store colleagues is a real accolade for us. We are indebted to them.”
A recent bag-pack in the store raised £2000 thanks to a generous response by customers to an appeal for support.
Karen Bell, from M&S Kingsgate, said: “We were very impressed by both the organisation and the response from volunteers and shoppers all keen to support our charity.”
At their day care centre in Pine Crescent, EK Dementia Carers Group organise a wide range of activities, including reminiscence, arts and crafts, quizzes, music therapy, games, hairdressing, baking, gentle exercises, bingo, dancing, and karaoke.
And with their own specially adapted bus, the carers’ group collect and drop off users and regularly take them on outings and excursions.
The group’s own band of volunteers regularly organise fundraisers, from coffee mornings to race nights.
And supporters, many of whom have family members who attend the centre, have run marathons, climbed mountains, taken on cycle challenges, you name it, to bring in funds.