Three charities in with a chance of £20k prize
PEOPLE power will determine how a whopping £20,000 cash pot will be spent in Glasgow. The Glasgow Times is giving local charities the chance to share in the money and it is down to our readers to decide.
Glasgow Times editor Callum Baird said: “Our parent company’s charitable arm, The Gannett Foundation, is providing £125,000 to support charities across the country, and we are delighted to have a £20,000 share to give away in Scotland.
“We asked you to decide where this money should be spent, and you nominated good causes in your thousands.
“Our editorial team, along with those on our sister titles The National, The Herald and the Greenock Telegraph, have chosen a shortlist of eight, including three in the Glasgow area.
“Now it is over to you to decide how that £20,000 is divided.”
The Glasgow charities in the running are cancer support charity Maggie’s, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and Beloved Rabbits.
Maggie’s Gartnavel centre head Kerry Craig said: “We’re so delighted to have been nominated for this award, which is all the more meaningful because it’s being voted for by the people of Glasgow, who we have been supporting for nearly 20 years.
“There has been a Maggie’s in Glasgow since 2002, during which time we have supported many thousands of people with cancer and their families as they deal with the emotional, practical and psychological effects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“The award money will help us to be there for even more people in our 20th year, with free professional support in areas such as benefits advice, nutrition and stress management, all delivered in a warm, comforting environment on the doorstep of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.”
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive at Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS), said: “We’re delighted to have been nominated by Glasgow Times readers and selected by the judging panel as one of the charities to benefit from a share of £20,000.
“The money will go towards funding our Hospital to Home services which help people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions manage their condition and live well at home.
“Recovery from a chest, heart and stroke condition doesn’t stop as soon as you leave the hospital, it can be a traumatic and isolating experience. We’re here to help people and their families adjust to the ‘new normal’.
“Every £20 raised funds an hour of support – making sure someone doesn’t feel scared and alone when they return home from hospital.”
David and Feona Bell set up Beloved Rabbits in Kirkintilloch in 2019 and the charity now has 100 volunteers across central Scotland, helping to improve the welfare of domestic rabbits through a range of services, including rabbit rescue and rehoming, adoption, bonding services and care advice.
David said: “We are grateful to have been nominated for a share of this funding. Anything that helps us raise awareness of the fact that rabbits are the most abandoned pet in the UK is fantastic.”
He added: “The pandemic, combined with the impact of Brexit, has brought with it an increase in veterinary costs alongside an increase in demand for rabbit rehoming. In 2020 for example we spent over £34,000 on vet fees, medication and vaccinations and we anticipate our veterinary costs increasing by at least 25% in the next year, and so we would intend to put the money towards those costs so that we are in a better position to meet the growing demand for rabbit rescue.”
The other Scottish charities in the running are Ardgowan Hospice, Man On Inverclyde, Erskine, Calum’s Cabin and Autism Rocks.
To determine how the £20,000 is allocated, readers are invited to collect tokens which will appear in our newspapers every day during November until the closing date.
You can then drop your tokens at collection points across our region, including supermarkets, restaurants and other prominent locations, or post them to Glasgow Times Readers’ Choice Cash for Charities Nominations, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG.
Tokens must arrive by the closing date of Sunday, November 28.
Each token collected will then be used to allocate cash to the nominated charity – so if your favourite charity collects 50% of all tokens collected, it will receive £10,000.
All eight charities are guaranteed a share of the cash pot.
More information, and the first lot of tokens, are included in today’s newspaper – so get collecting and support your favourite charity.