Elves provide Christmas fun
Big-hearted Toryglen locals helped provide some early Christmas cheer for a couple of community stalwarts recently.
Staff from ASDA Toryglen were joined by a group of Christmas elves, dubbed the National Elf Service, and from 15 youngsters from Toryglen Community Centre.
The Christmas elves stopped at Toryglen Community Base at Prospecthill Circus to help local children say a big, festive thank you to Sandra Markey, who runs the Toryglen Community Base and her best friend Eveline McNair, who runs Toryglen Community Hall.
Asda colleagues then created giant gift hampers for the two volunteers, with everything from mince pies and Christmas pudding, chocolates and candles.
Earlier in the year both charities benefitted from Asda Foundation donation.
The Toryglen Community Base received a donation of café furniture and the Community Hall received an £18k foundation grant which paid for a brand new kitchen.
Sandra Markey, chairperson at Toryglen Community Base, said: “Eveline and I were absolutely delighted with the hampers from Asda. It was such a surprise and so lovely to receive recognition for the work we do in our community.
“Since moving into our thenderelict building in July 2013, we have worked tirelessly to move forward as an organisation and improve our premises. As a result of ongoing support from Asda, we are starting to see real progress and this act of kindness has really touched Eveline and I this Christmas.”
The Asda Foundation is investing thousands of pounds into local communities this Christmas, working with a team of community elves whose mission it is to surprise, delight and bring some fun to deserving groups and individuals, as part of the campaign #becauseitschristmas.
Elizabeth Arbuckle, community life champion at Asda Toryglen, added: “We wanted to give back to a deserving cause within our local community this Christmas – and we thought helping the children surprise the volunteers with Christmas hampers would go down very well within the whole community.
“I’ve worked with the community centre for over 15 years and without the dedicated efforts of Sandra and Eveline the Toryglen Community Base would not run as well as it does. We feel we’ve done our bit in keeping the magic of Christmas alive in Toryglen.”