News from across the third sector #NeverMoreNeeded

Beleagured bosses bolstered by fundraiser success

Beleagured bosses at National Trust for Scotland have been bolstered by A 'Save Our Scotland' over news that it has raised more then £1.6million. Actor Brian Cox was one of those who offered his support as the charity put together a video message aimed at raising the funds to secure the future of natural heritage sites and historic attractions across Scotland in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. The fundraising drive was launched last month after the charity forecast it would lose £28million in income this year as its heritage sites shut down due to lockdown. When the extent of the losses were calculated in May, 429 staff were told they were at risk of redundancy. The fundraising campaign was launched on June 10 and has secured international support, including donations from the US.Mark Bishop, NTS director of customer and cause, revealed that Trust members have donated £800,000 in addition to their subscriptions. He said: "The trust has been blown away by the response of key supporters, members who have donated, and the wider public too. "This shows that there is a lot of support for the Trust out there and many people who want to play their part in helping the Trust continue its vital work to protect so much of what people love about Scotland."

Running man

Edinburgh dad, Ian Greenhill, has set himself a huge fundraising challenge, running 21.5km every day for 10 days to remember his son, Reuben, who was born last year at 21 weeks and 5 days. The funds raised will support the work of local baby loss charity, Held In Our Hearts. Ian, who has already raised an incredible £8,000, is nearing the end of his challenge and said: “I’m really enjoying the challenge the running is obviously long but all the money raised so far and the fact that I’m doing it for Reuben and for all the families who have suffered from baby loss helps to spur me on. Also I’m excited to have a pint at the end of it all.” He said of his experience of baby loss: “Last year my wife & I lost our son Reuben. This was an extremely confusing and upsetting time for us and I was confronted with feelings I had never experienced before. We got help from a charity called Held in Our Hearts (formerly SANDS Lothian) and their empathy and compassion helped us through this period. When you lose a child in the way we did, it is often hard for people to understand or comprehend. The charity gave us counselling from people who had been through similar experiences and helped integrate us into support groups who showed that we weren't alone. After this, we weren't ashamed to say our son's name anymore and we were/are proud of Reuben and the profound effect he has had on our life.”

Congregation gets behind emergency food aid

A Renfrewshire congregation has been thanked for collecting four and a half tonnes of goods for a foodbank during lockdown. Over 15 weeks, Houston and Killellan Kirk provided enough ingredients for the equivalent of more than 11,100 meals. Speaking about the impressive community effort, Rev Gary Noonan who is the minister of the parish, explained that within days of closing the building, they were looking at how to help the most vulnerable. “We were acutely aware at this time it’s often the poorest who are hit hardest,” he said. “By the Monday after closing our buildings we had 20 volunteers from the congregation and wider local area, which soon grew to 35. “They were able to do peoples’ shopping, that kind of thing.” In the past, the congregation had made substantial donations to Renfrewshire Foodbank twice a year but realised they would need their support more than ever. Soon they were collecting around 80 bags a week to deliver to the foodbank. While Mr Noonan describes it as a “scandal” that people are still forced to rely on foodbanks, he is full of praise for the way the whole community has been involved. In a letter thanking the church and those who had helped from the local area, Renfrewshire Foodbank described their donations as “truly incredible”. However, the letter goes on to say that they expect a “dramatic rise” in the number of people needing their services when the full impact of job losses hits. As a result Mr Noonan intends to continue the collection at the church for the foreseeable future.