Cluny kids show true spirit of Christmas with Buckie Community Hub donation
Two classes of primary school kids have shown the true spirit of selfless Christmas giving with a donation to a local community hub.
Youngsters in P4A and P3/4W at Cluny Primary School in Buckie decided to forego their Advent calendar treats in favour of collecting food and other items for Buckie Community Hub, gathering an impressive amount of products in just a few weeks.
The goods will go to helping many families and individuals who would otherwise find it difficult to put food on the table during what for many is a difficult time of year.
It is the third year the kids have done a reverse Advent calendar for good causes and the second year they have supported the Hub.
P4A teacher Lisa Addison said: “The Hub actually phoned us this year to see if we'd be willing to do it again, so it just shows the need in the community for it.
“We started collecting in the first week of December, so we’ve managed to get all this in just three weeks. We’re absolutely delighted, overwhelmed actually by the amount that the kids have taken in just for the two classes. Kids from other classes have donated as well and some of the staff have brought things in, too.
“We did a reverse advent calendar again, but slightly different this year. Instead of each child being asked to bring in one thing, they just got a list of possible items that they could bring in. I think that's why we've ended up with so much, because lots of them brought several items, rather than just the one item that we did previous years.”
The urge to give something back to the community was a major driving force for the children.
Ms Addison continued: “I think it's a sense that they're helping others in the community, and they feel that they are giving back something that the community has given to them.
“When we have our open afternoons and our concerts, they're always really well attended and the parents always do really well and support things so it's like they feel they're doing their bit to give back.”
She went on to note that many of the pupils had contact with the Hub throughout the year, not just at Christmas time, and had developed an understanding of the wider role the organisation plays in the local community.
Now in its second year, the Hub is the brainchild of Buckie Area Forum (BAF).
Gratefully accepting the donation on behalf of the Hub was BAF chairman Gordon McDonald.
He said: “I'm just kind of blown away by the amount the kids have collected, it’s really impressive.
“This is actually the time where most of the families who are struggling are really needing a lot of help.
“They see everybody else getting presents and everything else and they're just trying to scrape from day to day, so it really has been a huge boost to all of these families.
“We’ll be doing a mix of distributing the donations from Cluny ourselves and passing stuff on to partner agencies. We're basically going to make sure that we've got enough stock because January and February coming are the worst months for families.
“Knowing you’ve only got small paycheques to come can make it seem a very long way to the end of these months. We always find, most families find January's the toughest month of the year. We'll certainly be putting out parcels, especially to those who we've had referred to us from all the various agencies.
“The donations we’ve been given by Cluny are certainly more than enough for what we've got planned to do, it's an exceptional effort.”
Mr McDonald went on to add that the Hub was not seeing any slow down in the number of people turning to them for assistance.
“The hub is getting busier and busier, it’s certainly not dying away, that’s for sure.
“Whether that’s due in part to the fact the Hub do so much more now, I’m not sure, but the demand is there and rising.
“The number of people who are really needing help is increasing dramatically. We do see regular faces that we deal with all the time, but there is a huge range of people who we only see the one-off. Pride is a tough thing for someone to get over, and that's totally understandable. So is stigma, we try and avoid making judgements of any kind.”
The hub is based at 17 East Church Street in the town. For more information about Hub opening times and the services offered, visit the organisation’s Facebook page. Alternatively, phone (01542) 780624 or email admin@buckiehub.com
