Highland Hospice have become the latest big winners from Scotmid Co-operative’s Community Connect initiative – being awarded funding of £15,000 to help strengthen the service they provide.
Scotmid launched the initiative in 2017 to help support charities, community projects and good cause groups continue the valuable work they do in communities and previous £15,000 award winners include Dundee’s Eighteen and Under, Highland Cycle Ability Centre, Laurencekirk Memorial Park and Home-Start Kincardine.
The funding for the initiative, which sees local groups win a share of £25,000 to support their ongoing work in the local area, has been generated from the sale of single-use carrier bags.
The other Community Connect award winners were Brechin City Hall Users Group and Kincardine and Deeside Befriending, who both received £5,000.
Scotmid members collected votes by swiping their Community Connect card after every in-store purchase and then voted for their preferred good cause group either in the shop or by attending the Ordinary General Meeting in Brechin (Tuesday 1 October).
Based in Inverness, Highland Hospice aim to support people, their families and carers, living with an advancing, life-shortening illness in the Highlands to live the best possible life and to prepare for an experience the best possible death.
Highland Hospice will now use the funding to improve awareness of and access to bereavement support and to train more volunteers to support individuals in need.
Highland Hospice Head of Fundraising Andrew Leaver said: “This is absolutely amazing news – the funding from the Community Connect award will make a significant difference to the service we provide and help more people dealing with grief.
“The funding means we can recruit and train more volunteers, which will result in us then being able to help more people suffering bereavement.
“Massive thanks to all of the Scotmid members, who voted for us – it is much appreciated and we look forward to using the funding and moving our work further forward.”
Scotmid Director Sheila Downie said: “Congratulations to Highland Hospice and all the latest Community Connect award winners.
“This was our fifth Community Connect awards in Scotmid’s North Region – local charities have now benefited from over £100,000 funding – and, once again, the vote was close, so thanks to all our members who helped to determine the outcome.
“Our core purpose is to serve our local communities and improve people’s everyday lives and Community Connect goes towards enabling us to achieve those goals.
“We very much look forward to seeing all these projects come to life and working together to improve the quality of life for people in our local communities.”
The short-listed Good Cause Groups for the next cycle of Community Connect funding will be announced next week and the award winners will be announced at Scotmid’s Annual General Meeting in April.
Image (left to right): Scotmid CEO John Brodie, Highland Hospice Head of Fundraising Andrew Leaver, Scotmid Director Sheila Downie.