Gordon District Friends Of CHAS celebrate 25 years of fundraising for Scottish children's hospice charity
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THE Gordon District Friends Of CHAS are celebrating 25 years of fundraising and support.
Established in November 1997, the group formed to support the efforts of the then Children's Hospice Association Scotland (now Children's Hospices Across Scotland) and still welcomes the input and dedication of a number of founding members today.
Inspired by the work of the charity - who at the time had just opened their first hospice Rachel House after four years of fundraising - the group work to raise the profile of CHAS in the north-east, raising awareness of the charity's work as well as tirelessly working to raise money.
In this time CHAS - who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year - have gone on to open their second hospice Robin House, as well as introduce outreach services like CHAS At Home and introduce specialist teams into children's hospitals across Scotland, including Aberdeen.
Through a variety of successful fundraisers the Gordon District Friends group have, to date, raised almost £391,000.
Amongst the events they've held locally are ladies lunches, quiz nights, dances and fundraising stalls at various local events as well as their infamous annual strawberry tea.
The group also run a 200 Club which boasts over 400 members, and can be regularly found 'shaking buckets'.
The group are incredibly grateful for all of the support they have received over the years from members of the public, and also from businesses who put their change tins beside the till.
Head of community fundraising and legacy at CHAS Sarah Secombes said: “I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Gordon District Friends of CHAS for 13 years, since I was fundraiser for the local area.
"They are a dedicated group of volunteers, many of whom have been involved since the groups inception.
"It’s thanks to their dedication, and the support of those in the Ellon area and surround, that they have raised the fantastic total of £390,876.16.
"No one should face the death of their child alone, and thanks to groups like Gordon District Friends, CHAS continues to be there for families when they need us most.”
The group celebrated their quarter-century milestone at their latest meeting in Ellon's Station Hotel, with a cake from Ythan Bakery cut by present founding members Sue Barrett and Norman Davidson.
The group are now looking to the future.
Anybody interested in helping to make the next 25 years as successful as the first 25 will be welcomed with open arms as the group pushes to continue raising the profile of CHAS.
Anybody interested in finding out more about getting involved can call Kate on 07936123962 or e-mail sarahsecombes@chas.org.uk.
