Last chance to Give a Gift to annual appeal
Charities are preparing to descend on the Stirling Observer offices this Friday to ensure some of the area’s most disadvantaged children get a Christmas boost.
Individuals, organisations, businesses and schools have been lending their support to our annual Give A Gift Appeal, which aims to ensure the festive season is a little brighter for sick, needy and disabled children and young people across the Stirling area.
Among those who answered the call was the team from Stirling’s Morrisons superstore at Springkerse, who acted as one of the drop-off points for the appeal and gathered several trollies packed full of toys and gifts.
Manager Gary McEwan said: “The response from our staff and customers to the appeal has been fantastic.
“This is our first year as a collection point so we didn’t quite know what to expect but it has been amazing to see how generous people have been.
“We are very passionate about supporting charities and good causes and supporting the Give A Gift Appeal seemed like an ideal opportunity to help a whole host of charities.
“This Saturday we are also holding a charities day which we hope will help us to raise thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes including Strathcarron Hospice and local schools. Some of our staff will be on static bikes, cycling from 8am until 8pm to raise funds.
“It will be a busy weekend for us as our petrol station, which has been closed for redevelopment for two weeks, is set to reopen on Monday as a Morrisons Daily, adding another 1000 square metres to its site.
“But we are always happy to make time for things that make a difference to those less fortunate.”
Among the charities and good causes which help to distribute the gifts donated to the Observer Give A Gift Appeal every year are Stirling Young Carers; Home-Start Stirling which supports families with young children going through difficult times; Stirling Women’s Aid; Barnardos; Stirling Council social services; PLUS; Cornton Vale and Glenochil Family Support Hubs; and foodbank charity Start-Up Stirling.
This year Support4Families, which helps families affected by a loved one’s drug or alcohol misuse, was added to the beneficiaries.
Collected at our offices in Upper Craigs and with the support of a host of dropoff points across the area, the gifts aim to ensure no local child goes without on Christmas morning.
Drop-off points can be found at: STIRLING: Stirling Observer, 34 Upper Craigs (open MonFri 9am-1pm); Morrisons supermarket, Springkerse Retail Park; Nationwide Building Society, Port Street; Codebase Stirling, 8-10 Corn Exchange Road; BALFRON: Balfron Library; BANNOCKBURN: Bannockburn Post Office; CALLANDER: Callander Primary School;DUNBLANE: Beech Tree Cafe, 2 Beech Road; Dunblane Centre, Stirling Road.
For queries please call (01786) 459417 or email kaiya.marjoribanks@ reachplc.com or news@ stirlingobserver.co.uk.