Pupils at Kibble’s Goudie Academy raised £1,135 at their annual Christmas Fayre which was matched by Kibble, meaning £2270 was donated to a local foodbank and community outreach programme.
Local residents in Ferguslie will now benefit from the money raised by the conscientious young people with The Darkwood Crew using funds to support its Community Market. The Darkwood Crew works within the community to address issues such as health inequalities, long term unemployment, poor educational attainment, poor mental health, social exclusion and isolation.
Young people at, specialist child and youth care charity, Kibble spent months preparing for the event by crafting an array of handmade gifts including jolly snowmen, colourful charm bracelets, scented wax melts, knitted Christmas decorations, reindeer food and wooden Santa’s.
The event was open to staff and young people at Kibble and included a marshmallow chocolate fountain and face painting as part of the festivities.
The Darkwood Crew runs a number of community initiatives in the Ferguslie area which aim to address historical social problems in the community. Their services include a weekly community food market at the Tannahill Centre for those who need a helping hand to put food on the table, and environmental projects including litter picking and garden maintenance.
Staff and young people from Kibble’s Goudie Academy have supported the community group for some time and last year alone donated £3,000 thanks to the Youth Philanthropy Initiative which helped Darkwood Crew restock their Community Market.
Terry McTernan, of the Ferguslie Darkwood Crew, said: “We have been overwhelmed by Kibble’s response to our recent Food Drive and GoFundMe appeal in aid of our Community Market. This is a staggering amount of money that will go a long way to support members of our community.
“We have developed a fantastic working relationship with both the staff and pupils at Kibble over recent years and would love to develop that further in the New Year.”
Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of Kibble said: “The Christmas Fayre was a fantastic festive afternoon and an excellent showcase of the hard work, creativity and craftsmanship of our young people. They should be extremely proud that their efforts have made a direct impact in supporting local people this Christmas and into the new year.”
To find out more about Kibble, visit www.kibble.org.