More than 800 under-privileged children will have gifts and sweet treats to unwrap on Christmas morning thanks to our big-hearted readers.
The Standard’s festive appeal wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing support we have received.
The backing has been phenomenal with thousands of pounds worth of gifts, sweets and cash donations handed in to our collection points in just six weeks and distributed via many agencies to children across Dumfriesshire.
We offer a huge thanks to everyone who donated this year and to all those working hard at the collection points who helped make this happen.
They are: Anne Croucher and Tesco, Cuckoo Bridge; Jade McKerlie and Tesco, Peel Centre; Myra Smith and Morrisons; Katriona Bailey and Nationwide Building Society; Fiona Rands, Caroline Bell and all the staff at The Crichton Trust, Easterbrook Bistro Bar and Spa, and in the Crichton Central; and the amazing ladies in the coffee shop at Marks & Spencer and manager, Tracy Clifford.
They have all gone the extra mile to support the appeal this year.
We are grateful to Ewan and Maureen Fraser of the Toll Bar Stores, Dumfries, for their £1,000 donation; Mrs Jenny Anderson who gave £500 in memory of her late husband, David; the Rotary Club of Dumfries Devorgilla for their £500 donation and Dumfries Lions who supplied £300 worth of vouchers.
Thanks also go to Colin Barbour, staff and customers at R Barbour and Sons Ltd for their £161 donation; Shannon Gibson and the team at Walker & Sharpe, Dumfries, for their £250 donation.
Postal workers at the Royal Mail’s Dumfries sorting office delivered a first-class service to the Standard’s appeal again this year handing over a bumper load of toys donated by themselves, and with help from staff at Toy Town, Argos, and Royal Mail.
We are also grateful to Dumfries Cornet Club members Ross Hyslop and Amy Muirhead who organised a collection point at David Allen Accountants and donated a bumper load of toys.
Huge thanks also to Ryan Kennedy, Rebecca Kirk, Garry Head, and Gordon Vivers, and fellow staff at Amey, Dumfries, for their boxes of toys; and to the workforce at Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure Ltd who donated gifts which they brought down from Glasgow to help the appeal.
We are also grateful to parishioners of St Andrew’s and St Columba’s RC Churches in Dumfries and Annan, and at Dunscore Parish Church for their gifts of toys and sweets; Lower Nithsdale Young Farmers Club; and Sheryl Turner, a director at Armstrong Joinery Products Ltd at Cample, Thornhill.
Community champion, Anne Croucher at Tesco Cuckoo Bridge, gave the £145 proceeds from a Christmas craft fair and we are grateful to many youngsters like Jack Kennedy who gave up their pocket money to help others; as well as M Keily and Angus
Robertson.
Many more have made donations into our bank account which have been a tremendous help and we thank them all and the anonymous individuals and families who also gave. Thank you also for shopping local and helping our Dumfriesshire businesses.
