Charity at Christmas

[lady penelope]

Do many of you donate to charity at Christmas?
What worthwhile campaigns would you donate to?
If the money stayed in the local area would you be more likely to give some money?
Your favourite local store will be working in partnership with MFR to raise some funds for good causes and raise a smile in the local community.
Will you be joining in?:):)

[Ash]

i would donate to scbu in inverness, spent alot of time there, they do an amazing job, they always need equipment, ive donated alot of time and money to them
and the premature charity bliss, buy christmas cards from them

[garble]

Not so much donate to charity. Last year I bought gifts from the Oxfam Unwrapped catalogue. For 2 of my comfortably off friends I bought 1 a goat for a village and the other a Mango tree.

[lady penelope]

My sister always sends us an oxfam goat.I might just visit it one day.;)

[hotrod4]

Do many of you donate to charity at Christmas?
What worthwhile campaigns would you donate to?
If the money stayed in the local area would you be more likely to give some money?
Your favourite local store will be working in partnership with MFR to raise some funds for good causes and raise a smile in the local community.
Will you be joining in?:

Which favourite local store? Didnt know the Indian was doing that!! as thats my favourite local store;)

[Julia]

I always fill a shoebox for the Blythswood shoebox appeal, it's nice knowing someone will get the items I bought and packed especially for them.

[Oddquine]

When I lived in Elgin, I used to buy gifts for some of the children on the Women's Aid/Social Work Christmas Tree in the St Giles Centre.

Does anyone do anything like this up here?

[Buttercup]

Which favourite local store? Didnt know the Indian was doing that!! as thats my favourite local store;)

I wondered that one too hotrod4!

[lady penelope]

I'll give you a clue ;)

It's the store that gets more org time than any other.:D

[Julia]

I wondered that one too hotrod4!


I'll give you a clue

It's the store that gets more org time than any other.

Umm, is it Tesco? ;)

As I drove into the car park late this afternoon, my wee boy got all excited at the sight of the big red sign, he loves Tescos!

[mums angels]

I'll be doing the shoebox appeal with the kids this year ... have bought a few pressies of oxfam before for my brothers etc , but my daughter got a goat once and was terribly dissapointed , she was only 5 and didnt understand ...

[evelyn]

When I lived in Elgin, I used to buy gifts for some of the children on the Women's Aid/Social Work Christmas Tree in the St Giles Centre.

Does anyone do anything like this up here?
Caithness FM usually do a toy appeal for local kids.
evelyn

[xx_chickie]

I'd love to have an Oxfam goat bought for me!! :D (note to all friends and family!)

I normally get charity Christmas cards. They're usually a lot nicer looking than other ones, and let people know you care about them, and charity. :)

[highlander]

I go to wick hospital on a regular basis for treatment and wanted to give the nurses a xmas gift, they said they would much prefer i donated money to cancer or another charity, i am also planning to send some xmas boxes to afganistan for our scottish soldiers having to miss out with all the festivities.

[Shabbychic]

I have read quite a bit recently that giving a goat or cow for Christmas is actually a very bad idea. This link (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23376556-details/Why+giving+a+goat+for+Christmas+%27hinders+those+i n+poverty%27/article.do) will explain more.

I suppose it sounded like a good idea at the time.

[bobandag16]

Do many of you donate to charity at Christmas?
What worthwhile campaigns would you donate to?
If the money stayed in the local area would you be more likely to give some money?
Your favourite local store will be working in partnership with MFR to raise some funds for good causes and raise a smile in the local community.
Will you be joining in?:):)
sad that this time of the year brings out the appeals. it is needed all the year round. this being the most expensive time. CROSSROADS . present favourite for caring. most appeals local are meet. at the time of asking.

[anneoctober]

We give mostly to children's charities, Malcolm Sargent, Leukaemia fund , Cerebra ( brain injured babies & children) & also Breast Cancer throughout the year. I sponsor a little girl in India and get a photo annually and regular updates from her teachers. Unfortunately we've also been ripped off in the past by "charities" ringing up for support and you end up with an account for £200-300 and no calendar/diary/ wallplanner . Having complained to the appropriate parties, we will now only support the MFR charity or ones here in Caithness, like Thor house who are currently fundraising to build a sensory room and special garden etc. They've already got the land from the Highland Council, as far as I can remember ! :)

[airdlass]

I prefer to donate to local charities or support fundraising events organised by them. I also donate throughout the year to Arthritis Research Campaign who also produce a Christmas catalogue so I buy my cards from there.

[henry20]

I give money to NSPCC & SSPCC every month and when I pop my clogs, a share of my estate goes to charity. I do not give to charities that appear on my door step. I know they have to raise money somehow, but its one of my pet hates.

I did get some goats etc this year as presents, but I also got school scholarships and meals for children, so hopefully at least some of it will benefit long term. The thing is, who do you believe? There are plenty of 'experts' in every field that end up contradicting each other, so how do we know which are right?

Unfortunately I still have Xmas cards left over from last year (ok, I bought them in the sales after Xmas), but next year I'm going to buy charity cards.

[poppett]

Bobandag16 will be pleased to know "Crossroads" raffle on 17th December for the model "Titanic" is progressing well and all proceeds will go to help local care givers give local care.

"Titanic" is presently in Wick at the Groat office at the foot of the cliff and comes back to Thurso next week to "Ticketyboo" in the precinct until 10th December when it moves to Mackay the butchers near woolies. The draw takes place at Bayview daycare centre at 10am on 17th December and the draw will be made by Viscount John Thurso MP. John Macrae will be there to take a Happysnap of the occasion for the local press who will print details of the winner.

I have bought christmas raffle tickets in the past for gifts, also scratchcards for the hard to get gifts for brigade.

[jings00]

i'm not a christmas fan, i dont "do" christmas cards any more, but i do donate to the highland hospice in lieu of card buying. i also save all my pennies, tuppences, five pences and that goes to the hospice too, year round, when the jar is full.

[Fran]

I always buy charity Christmas cards. This year I will be donating to caithness macmillan nursing care. I will also give a big box of biscuits to the ambulance crews as usual, and to the district nurses.

[neepnipper]

I buy charity cards and have just started using www.easyfundraising.org.uk, this site is great, just done an order with Thorntons and raised £1.83 for Springer Spaniel Rescue, my selected charity, at no extra cost to myself.
All you have to do is register free and go to the site you want to shop at via the easyfundraising site and a percentage of the money from your order goes to your selected charity, there are hundreds of sites registered with them and hundreds of charities and organisations that you can choose for your money to go to, brilliant!

[poppett]

Sounds like a good scheme neepnipper, might give it a try

[Anne x]

I buy Charity Xmas Cards when I can and also donate to all the collectors around on a Saturday today it was the Lifeboats excellent cause