Charity will benefit from support

Funeral directors have stepped up to help a local foodbank support those in need across the Stirling area.

Andrew Anderson and Sons, based in Callander, Balfron and Stirling, are supporting Start Up Stirling by providing an employee to drive for the charity half a day a week.

Managing director Ross Anderson said: “Start Up Stirling does an important job and we are pleased to give up our time to support them.”

Start Up Stirling funding and communications manager Laura Kearney said: “It is an incredibly kind and generous way to help but more importantly help local people who are in hardship and going through a difficult time.”

The charity now delivers crisis food packs to towns and villages across rural Stirlingshire four days a week.

Colin Smith, convener of Start Up Stirling added: “We receive so much support from across the local community but this is a first where a company is providing four hours resource to us every week. “

Meanwhile, Start Up Stirling has less than eight weeks to go before they make their Guinness World Record breaking attempt for the longest row of cans of food.

The charity is hoping to collect 45,000 cans to beat the current world record held by Canada of 44,966.

To qualify each can must be in date but can be any item of food – beans, vegetables, meat, tuna, fish, spaghetti, meals such as chilli, stew, macaroni and fruit.

Many schools, clubs, group and local businesses are already hosting collection points. Within Stirling these are: Stirling Observer; Babes in the Wood; Forth Valley College; Youth Hostel headquarters; Stirling Youth Hostel; Our Place Café; St Ninians Library; Bannockburn Library; Raploch Express Library; Stirling Central Library; Stirling City Radio; Andrew Anderson & Sons Funeral Directors; Cornton Primary School; Raploch Nursery; Stirling Mitsubishi Arnold Clark; Borestone Primary School; and Riverside Primary School.

Other locations include: Killin Library; Strathblane Library; Cambusbarron Library; Drymen Library; Plean Library; Doune Library; Dunblane Library; Bridge of Allan Library; Balfron Library; Fallin Library; Cowie Library; Callander Library; Andrew Anderson & Sons Funeral Directors – Balfron; Fallin Primary School; Fallin Nursery; Buchlyvie Primary School; Callander Primary School; and Arnhall Nursery.

The following businesses are also holding collection points for their staff: Debenhams; Enterprise; Central FM; Stirling University Innovation Park and SEPA.

Groups including 1st Stirlingshire Scouts and 4th/6th Stirlingshire Cubs are also collecting cans, and Tesco and Sainsbury’s Metro are donating.