Silverburn names ten local charities that will receive a share of £20,000 donation

Silverburn has revealed the ten charities that have been awarded a grant through its Giving Back Project.
David PierottiDavid Pierotti
David Pierotti

Launched in August, the Giving Back Project is a new scheme which will see Silverburn donate a total of £20,000 to support local groups across Glasgow that have been hit hard by COVID-19.

Hammerson, which owns Silverburn, has launched the scheme across nine of its flagship destinations in the UK, meaning charities across the country will receive £180,000 to help them overcome the impact of the pandemic.

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Silverburn will award ten £2,000 grants to the following charities and organisations:

Bikes for Refugees – Bikes for Refugees was established in 2017. They provide access to free bikes, the provision of information, signposting and support for New Scots who are refugees and asylum seekers. They also provide opportunities for this group to take up volunteering opportunities, helping to repair and distribute donated bikes.

Crookston Community Group – The Crookston Community Group SCIO established in 2012 by a group of multi-cultural local people who made use of an unused community centre to make a positive contribution to the cohesion and economy of the community.

Halliday Foundation – The Halliday Foundation Trust was established in 2019 to help prevent homelessness and end rough sleeping; show that ending homelessness is both achievable and sustainable, and support volunteers and service users to be more effective, impactful and resilient.

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Pollok Baptist Church – Pollok Baptist Church was founded in 1952 and (in February 2019) has a current membership of 47 people with about 95 people of all ages attending its worship times on Sundays.

Beatson Cancer Charity – Beatson Cancer Charity exists to enhance the experience, treatment, outcomes and well-being of current and former cancer patients and their families or carers in the broadest possible sense.

The Social Bite – Social Bite was begun by Alice Thompson and Josh Littlejohn in 2012 as a Sandwich Shop in Rose Street, Edinburgh, but not just any sandwich shop, Josh and Alice decided to operate as a Social Business giving away all profits to good causes. In the space of just six years, Social Bite has gone on to employ 70 people and operate a chain of five social enterprise sandwich shops across Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen as well as a food delivery service called “Social Bite Delivers”.

Indepen-dance – Indepen-dance is an award-winning inclusive dance company for disabled and non-disabled people to enjoy, express, and fulfil their potential through dance.

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Community of Helping Hands – Community of Helping Hands was set up to support those in need and those working on the front-line during the Covid-19 pandemic. This led the Scottish government placing restrictions on the public and businesses to slow down the peak to protect the health service. and shielding those at a higher risk.

Birth baby and beyond – Birth, Baby & Beyond is a charitable organisation based in Glasgow, aimed at helping under privileged families, with little or no income within the Glasgow Community.

Cosgrove Care – Cosgrove Care helps to improve the lives of people with additional needs and their families so that they have the same opportunities as everyone else. They do this by providing person centered support, advice and information across West Central Scotland, to everyone who needs it.

The Silverburn scheme was developed in partnership with Foundation Scotland, who worked with the destination to allocate the grants to those in greatest need. Local organisations were invited to apply to the foundation and each submission was carefully reviewed to identify those that made a significant impact in the community and would benefit from further support. Each of the ten charities were selected based on meeting the following criteria:

· Food bank support and tackling food poverty

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· Providing support services to people affected by domestic violence and abuse

· Supporting those who are homeless or rough sleeping

· Providing employment opportunities, enterprise or skills development

David Pierotti, General Manager at Silverburn said: “This has been a really challenging year for everyone, and we know that charities and other organisations across Glasgow have really gone the extra mile. This project is all about giving something back to those groups that have pulled out all the stops over the past few months, and need a helping hand to ensure they can continue to carry out their valuable work. We are so grateful for everything they have done.”

Vicki Corbett, Development Manager at Foundation Scotland said: “We were delighted to work in partnership with Silverburn to deliver the Giving Back Project. This extra funding for charitable groups across Glasgow can make a massive difference. Not only in helping them manage their daily operations but also the level of support they can offer within their local community. Generous donors like Silverburn have never been more needed and appreciated.”

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Stephen McClusky, Founder of Bikes for Refugees said: “Bikes for Refugees (Scotland) would like to extend our thanks to Silverburn for being selected as one of ten charities for funding support. In these difficult and challenging times these funds will mean a great deal to our community of New Scots (refugees/asylum seekers). Funding will allow us to provide freedom of movement and a free means of travel to many isolated and economically disadvantaged families through access to bicycles, supporting access to essential services and promoting physical and mental health.”

Christopher Halliday, Chief Executive of the Halliday Foundation said: “The Halliday Foundation is 100% run by volunteers and are especially delighted to be involved in the Silverburn project because of the commitment to participation from Silverburn employees. Our Services – run by volunteers – rely on donations of time, food and household items which are used to meet the needs of rough sleepers and recently houses homeless people in Glasgow and the £2,000 grant will have huge impact on both the quality and extent of the support we give, many thanks!

Maisi McCormick, Community Fundraising Manager at Beatson Cancer Charity said: “We are thrilled to receive the generous donation by Silverburn Giving Back project. This shall provide delivery of our Specialist Health and Work Service (SHAWS) workshops to support patients and families through the incredibly stressful and difficult journeys they face at the time of a cancer diagnosis. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Silverburn Shopping Centre – their continued support has been outstanding and this will make a huge difference.”

Sarah Rees, Head of Partnerships at Social Bite said: “We are so grateful to receive this support. In response to Covid19, we re-purposed our social enterprise kitchen and cafes to start making free lunch bags and meals for people experiencing homelessness, food poverty and holiday hunger. The donation from the Silverburn Giving Back Project is enough to fund 1,000 food packs which will be distributed to individuals and families with children in Glasgow and communities of most need across Scotland. Thank you.”

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Karen Anderson, Artistic Director at Indepen-dance said: “We are delighted to hear that we have been successful with our application for the Silverburn Giving Back Project, we will use these funds to support our variety of online classes for our disabled children, young people and adults. The funds will support a block of 10 weekly online classes for an 8-week block. The online classes which include creative movement and dance, chair based yoga, family disco, dance energy and social classes have been a life line to our disabled participants, offering them the opportunity to connect with each other and support their fitness, well-being and isolation.”

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