Help for families around the world

Dear Editor,

I’m writing to encourage your readers to get involved with Shine for ShelterBox.

It’s a winter fundraiser focussed on hosting a cosy candlelit dinner with friends and family to help other families around the world who have lost everything in natural disasters or conflict.

ShelterBox is a disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and vital aid to families affected by disaster worldwide.

It is currently working to help families in the Philippines after super typhoon Mangkhut recently devastated thousands of homes, as well as in Syria, Kenya, India and Somaliland.

Helping more families around the world starts with a Shine party. By hosting a Shine for ShelterBox dinner, you can shine the way forward for families in their darkest hour.

I am passionate about supporting ShelterBox and together we can make a huge difference to others around the world. Let’s come together and shine!

Request a pack at ShelterBox.org, and receive great tips on hosting a cosy, candlelit dinner, including invitations, a collection box, and paper lanterns.

Visit www.shelterbox.org/shine to find out more. Rebecca Swist ShelterBox Response Team Dear Editor

Last week marked Scotland’s first Care Experienced Week, providing a chance through a series of events to celebrate all those who have been in and left care.

We cannot underestimate the amazing contribution these individuals make to our society. Not only the around 15,000 currently in care, but all those who have left.

The challenges many of them have faced is immense. Only six per cent of those who are care experienced go to university and nearly half will suffer mental health issues. Half of the adult prison population are people who lived in care when they were growing up. Worst of all, a young person who has been in care is twenty times more likely to be dead by the time they are 25 than a young person who hasn’t.

The care system must and can do better by our most vulnerable children and young people. We need to create a system that puts love for the children it cares for at its very heart. That is why the current independent review of Scotland’s care system is to be greatly welcomed.

So let us use this first Care Experienced Week to celebrate the achievements, not only of those who have had a positive care experience, but to shed a light on those who struggle, and use this to press for more support for these vulnerable individuals. The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, Edinburgh