Cottage Centre Appeal: huge delivery day to support 2000 families this Christmas

Two insights into the sheer scale of the Cottage Centre’s Appeal which, this year, will ensure that almost 2000 families will not be forgotten about at Christmas. That’s 2000 people in our communities, our streets.

This was not only the Cottage’s biggest ever appeal, but also the most emotionally challenging as they witnessed the devastating impact poverty and isolation is having on people. Without support, without hope, they are being driven to the very brink.

The tears flowed among volunteers as Pauline Buchan, centre manager, spoke of the importance of the appeal, and what to expect as doors were opened and they got a sense of the pain engulfing so many lives. This appeal doesn’t just make a difference. It is a precious lifeline.

Gordon Brown, patron of the Cottage, told them: “Every time you knock on a door, you are saying that someone really cares; someone thinks you are important enough that they want to give you a Christmas present and will help you over the course of this year.

“There are children who would not be having a Christmas without your help. Christmas would be cancelled.”

What started out as a toy appeal 14 years for around 100 youngsters has developed into something much, much greater - a lifeline for families in poverty and many with no immediate support network to turn to as the festive lights flash and twinkle.

The toys have been long been supplemented by clothes and food - ten-day survival packs to ensure families have something to eat across the festive season when many agencies are closed.

The 2024 raised over £60,000 - its biggest ever target - and needed two bases in Kirkcaldy to house all the donations as an army of around 300 volunteers mustered to pack bags and crates, fill vans and get everything to people who need them most before December 25.

Volunteers came from the community and political worlds,a s well as business with a host of companies donating their time, staff and even vehicles to get things rolling. They included Briggs Marine, Fife Council, George Boyd, Pepsico, Bell UK , Repair Renew Replace, Jack Brownlee Plumbing and Heating, Amazon, MPF, Kirkcaldy Cabs, and RGM Heating - underlining the commitment across the town.

The donation which officially got them over the line came from a local business - one just yards from the centre in Templehall. The £2500 from Snipz Barbershop was typical of the response this year. At the centre, the staff lost count of the individual donations as folk dropped off bags of toys; some the result of fundraising, some bought personally so they give others a brighter Christmas.

Megan Harrison, family support development worker, summed it up in a recent Press interview:

“It doesn’t matter how much or how little people give - the fact they go out of their way to buy something or donate tells families that someone cares and wants them to have a good Christmas. Everything goes to someone who needs it. It is amazing to see how the community rallies round.”

She described Christmas as “a big magnifying glass on the situation they are in and on their lives” underlining the increased pressure it can bring at a time when daily living is tough enough.

“They could be battling all sorts of issues and challenges when it comes to this time of year and they have no time to prepare properly because they are going through, or have gone through, a crisis.

“They know Christmas is coming but their day to day circumstances are so challenging that there is no space to physically, mentally or financially prepare for it. They feel terrible not being able to go out and buy food or gifts. We don’t want them to feel like this.

Thanks to the generosity of the community - the kindness of strangers - the appeal ensures they are not forgotten about at this time of year. Every giant bag of toys and clothes, every crate of food and supplies went to a different door across Kirkcaldy district.

Your donations made a huge difference this Christmas.