Kirkcaldy charity's heartfelt thank you as it moves into new home

The group has moved to its new home after a hugely successful £15,000 fundraising campaign caught the imagination of people across the town.

Now the team behind it has issued a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made its dream come true.

Nourish secured the new premises after volunteers and supporters went the extra mile to raise the funds needed.

They took over the town’s roundabouts and retail park, held raffles, backed events and competitions to try to raise the £15,000 needed to make the move as quickly as possible.

The group, which supports families with children who have additional needs, had outgrown its base in Glebe Park Community Centre and embarked on its epic mission to raise the cash in August.

People, businesses, organisations, a Kirkcaldy high school, and a men’s mental health group, among others, all answered its call for support in an awesome show of community spirit across the Lang Toun.

The registered charity was founded in 2011 by five parents who felt there was a lack of help for families who have children with additional support needs in the area.

They each put £10 each into a kitty and used the money to purchase cups, saucers, tea and coffee, and hired a local community centre that also ran a toddlers group that let Nourish borrow its toys when it was still a fledgling group.

From humble beginnings the group aimed to provide a family support centre for those affected by disability, by providing a welcome and safe space for people to come along and share their experiences without feeling judged, and meet others who faced similar difficulties.

Nourish runs support groups weekly which includes one for adults with additional support needs, family support groups and a group for dads, all of which can now be offered all week long instead only a few sessions, thanks to the move.

As the appeal nears its end, Nourish only needs to raise a further £475 to hit its target.

With the target in reach, Nourish moved in to its new premises at Elizabeth House a fortnight ago.

The new centre boasts a sensory room, play room, arts and craft room, family hub, kitchen, and a food support service area, enabling the group to offer a whole host different of services for families.

Lynne Scott, centre manager said: “It was bittersweet leaving Glebe Park as there is so many happy memories there, but the old hall needed a lot of work done and it wasn’t very welcoming.

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/crime/police-find-heroin-worth-ps25000-fife-town-3022107

Father of missing Fife man Allan Bryant calls on public to help end...

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/fife-shop-feature-bbcs-antiques-road-trip-3021961

"It wasn’t our own space and we had to share the hall with other groups, which meant that it took quite a lot of time setting up our equipment and clearing it away, taking away valuable time that we could spend supporting our families.

"We now have our own space, and don't have to ask permission to run new services, meaning that we can now offer more support to families.

"In the last two weeks we have been busy making sure that the new centre is ready for people to start using it and ensuring that we have all the proper procedures in place to combat the spread of coronavirus.”

When Nourish launched its appeal, Lynne and her team did not know if it was possible to achieve their dream.

"We had mixed emotions,” she said. “It was such a huge task to try to raise the amount needed for the move, I was preparing myself to be let down.

"Our dream has always been for Nourish to be situated somewhere like Elizabeth House so we can help more people – we can’t thank everyone who has helped us enough.”

"It is hard to put into words the gratitude that we have for everyone who donated and gave up their time to help us make this dream come true. They have helped our families in more ways than they could ever imagine.”

Caroline Haig, chairman and lead volunteer said: “A lot of our families are really struggling during the coronavirus pandemic and are needing our support more than ever.

"They all have so many questions concerning Covid and all the rules surrounding it. They just want to be here at Nourish all of the time as some of them them have no one else to turn to.

"We have been connecting with families through phone and Zoom calls, but to be able to connect face-to-face is what people crave the most as some are uncomfortable speaking over a video call.

"Our families are so happy with the move to Elizabeth House. They are telling us that the new building is so warm and welcoming. When you see the faces of everyone who visits, it really makes all of the hard work worthwhile.”

Caroline adds that the move would not have been possible without the overwhelming support from the community.

"I feel so proud of what we have achieved,” she said. “I am extremely proud of Lynne, our centre manager and all of our volunteers, who have all went above and beyond to help us find our forever home.

"I would also like to thank everyone who has donated, and all of the people who have helped in other ways by giving up their time to help us raise the money needed for the move.

"At the end of the day, we are just parents who are just trying to get it right, and I think this resonates with people through the overwhelming support that we have been given.”

If you would like to help Nourish reach its target please visit: New Nourish Support Centre

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.