Category: Fundraising
FRONTLINE FESTIVAL SCOTLAND FREE VIRTUAL MUSIC EVENT
SPBF is proud to partner with our good friends Ceangail who are kindly putting together a fantastic FREE virtual music festival in support of #frontlinecharities
The event will see many well know stars and music artists coming together in support of Scottish front line charities including ourselves. Below shows the details of just some of the artists who will be performing and when the event will be taking place.
Please follow us on Twitter at @SPBF to keep up to date on news of this exciting event and how you can enjoy and participate in supporting your Scottish frontline workers.
Whilst the event is free to watch, viewers will be able to donate to the Frontline Festival main Just Giving page shown below, or you can donate directly to the Frontline Festival Scottish Police Benevolent Fund Just Giving page via the link here.
Please give generously and what you can to support your 999 workers and a big shout out and thanks to all the artists, presenters, ambassadors and all the staff at Ceangail for making this happen.
So polish of yer dancing shoes, get the glitterball out the cupboard and get ready to dance the evening away courtesy of THE FRONTLINE FESTIVAL SCOTLAND.
SPBF AGM 2020
The Scottish Police Benevolent Fund is pleased to announce that the 2020 Annual General Meeting will take place on Monday 17th August 2020 at the SPF West Area Office, Merrylee House, Unit 5, Westpoint Business Park, 8 Marchfield Drive, Paisley, PA3 2RB, West Area hosting. This meeting is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m. All members are invited to attend.
Please note that due to the current COVID 19 outbreak and lockdown restrictions in place, the decision to hold this meeting in person has not yet been confirmed. A decision will be made nearer the date as to whether it is safe to hold a physical meeting or if the meeting should be held via video conference, or potentially delayed as provided for under the Constitution rules. Please keep checking the website for updates which will be posted as soon as information allows an informed decision to be made. Thank you.
Scots Police Charity helps one wee girl wish upon a star to make her Disney dream come true
With all the negative media stories around the world right now due to the Covid19 outbreak, it’s nice to know good things still happen and dreams do come true.
Thanks to the continued support from SPBF members and friends, one little girl was able to experience a holiday of a lifetime despite the many challenges she faces on a daily basis. Maisie, who is severely disabled physically and mentally, requires constant care on a 24/7 basis, and any type of excursion is a military operation for the family at the best of times.
So it was the pleasure of the SPBF to assist the family in sprinkling a little of that Disney Magic Dust and making her dream come true.
As a result of our direct intervention, Maisie’s parents where able to properly plan for this trip in the knowledge they had the backing and support of the charity. After obtaining a specialist flight cot to travel, adapted vehicle and a villa specially equipped to accommodate families with special needs, Maisie was finally on her way to never never land.
We loved receiving the pictures on their return of Maisie enjoying meeting Mickey and Minnie as well as spending some special one on one time with her favourite character, her dad in the pool.
It looks like Maisie and her family had a holiday to remember and we are so glad this was all still possible before the lock down took effect across the globe. It is only through members continued support, fundraisers and kind donations from members of the public that we can continue to support such deserving cases. So please continue to give generously when you can and let us continue to help make more dreams come true.
It costs less than the price of a cup of coffee a month to become a member of the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund, giving you peace of mind that in times of need or hardship, we have your back even long after you retire. If you’d like to join the SPBF, make a donation or raise funds for us please get in touch.
SPBF tells Police Treatment Centre to ‘Get on its Bike!’
The Scottish Police Benevolent Fund continues to support its members past and present through its continued support of the Police Treatment Centre at Castlebrae, Auchterarder.
Trustees during their recent meeting held at the Centre were delighted to take some time out to be shown the fruits of their recent donations to the PTC.
The Benevolent Fund donated £25,000 towards the continued running of the PTC’s Psychological Wellbeing Programme based at Auchterarder, having helped the centre in the past with this vital service for officers past and present suffering from psychological difficulties. The Fund recognises the impact that such services provide in assisting its members towards coping with the many challenges they face as a result of their duties.
The Fund also donated a further £4,720 for the purchase of two state-of-the-art ‘Watt’ Exercise Bikes and the Trustees were given a demonstration of bikes in operation. Our Secretary was encouraged to have a go and show us how it was done, but told the rest of the Trustees to ‘get on yer bike!’, which seemed a little bit of a contradiction there don’t you think!!
Anyway, the bikes arrived just before Christmas and the fitness staff were able to complete their training on the equipment early in the new year allowing them to go fully operational which is great news. We are certainly delighted to see another piece of equipment in place that is going to assist our officers on the road to recovery.
Fitness Supervisor, Douglas Jay, said, “These bikes really are excellent pieces of kit, ideal for treating injuries as well as for athletic performance.”
The members of the Benevolent Fund are pictured with Castlebrae Fitness Instructor, Scott Ramsay demonstrating the Watt Bikes.
Our thanks to the staff at the PTC for showing us around and we look forward to working closely together in the future towards the well being of our members and their families. It is only through the continued donations from our serving members in the SPBF that we can continue to support such good causes and if your not currently a member, we would encourage you to click on the link above where it says, how to join, and submit an application. At only £1.50 A MONTH! it’s fair to say its fantastic value knowing the Fund has your back at times of need.
SPBF supports Maggies Centre
SPBF is pleased to announce that as part of its commitment to supporting its members and their families at times of need, the fund has donated £5,000 to Maggie’s Centre in support of the excellent work they do in providing psychological and emotional support to families battling cancer.
Maggie’s Centres provide free invaluable practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends.
Built in the grounds of NHS cancer hospitals, Maggie’s Centres are places with professional staff on hand to offer the support people need. The Centres are places to find practical advice about benefits and eating well; places where qualified experts provide emotional support; places to meet other people; places where you can simply sit quietly with a cup of tea.
SPBF were delighted to be invited to a personal tour of one of the Centres, at Maggie’s Centre, Dundee. Our Secretary Stephen Clark, together with Operations Manager Gary Brown went along just prior to Christmas to present the cheque and learn more about the vital work the dedicated staff and volunteers get up to.
A big thank you to Lesley Howells, Centre Head and Laura Boyd, Centre Fundraiser, for their personal time and attention showing us round the stunning Centre, and explaining just how much the Centre provides to families having to come to terms with someone in their life with cancer. A special thanks also for the home made mince pies! They were delicious!!
If you are personally, or if you know of anyone struggling to come to terms with the fact they or someone they know has cancer, then please get in touch with your local Maggie’s Centre who are always happy to see you. No worry is too small or silly to enquire about and you will always find a warm welcome awaiting you.
Further details of what support and service they can provide, together with details of where your nearest Maggie’s Centre can be found by clicking on this link.
Meanwhile if you would like to support the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund in its work, providing support to our Police Officers, Support Staff and their families working hard to keep our communities safe and secure across Scotland, then please donate using the Just Giving link on our home page, or alternatively contact us via our contacts page. Or if your thinking of raising funds for SPBF, maybe by way of a sponsored walk, cycle, or something a little more different such as a knitting marathon for example! then please get in touch and let us know. We would love to hear from you. Thank you all for your continued support.
A BIG THANK YOU DONATERS!!
Trustees, staff and members of the SPBF would like to say a BIG Thank You, to all who have supported and donated to the charity this last year. Whilst we are conscious many choose to remain anonymous when donating, all at the charity just wish you to know that we greatly appreciate the support you give us, large or small and rest assured your funds deposited are going to a great cause in supporting officers, support staff and their families during difficult times as well as supporting many other great causes.
A fantastic £3,913.21 was raised in the last 12 months alone via the Just Giving Page. This does not include monies kindly donated via our collection boxes in most major Police Stations across Scotland and those who have kindly donated directly to the charity by other means, for which again we are so thankful for. Please know we value all your efforts and thank you for your kindness.
If you are intending on raising monies for the SPBF by undertaking a charity collection or event such as a fun run or even something daft like sitting in a bath of beans, then please let us know as we would be happy to work with you in achieving your goal.
If you wish to give a donation via our Just Giving Page, then please just click the link above which will take you directly to our page and will only take you seconds to complete.
So once again, just a BIG THANK YOU and a Happy New Year to everyone from the SPBF, we are truly humbled by your kindness x
Scottish Police Benevolent Fund build ‘HOUSE of PAIN!’
Thanks to our subscribing members and gratefully received donations, we are delighted to announce that we were recently able to assist another member of the Police family who came to us for assistance.
Jack, who is aged nine, is the son of a serving Police officer and suffers from Cerebral Palsy. It’s fair to say, Jack has had a bit of a time of it, having been born prematurely and spent the first four months of his life in hospital. Shortly after his discharge, the family then had to contend with Jack being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Mainly affecting his lower limbs, his parents were informed by the medical team that they were looking at the real prospect of Jack being wheelchair bound for the rest of his life.
Thankfully Jack’s parents decided they weren’t going to give up so easily and would do everything they could to afford him as much of a normal childhood possible and provide him the best opportunity to be as mobile and active as possible. So they embarked on an intensive programme over the next few years towards achieving this.
Jack gets regular input from the community physiotherapist and needs twice daily physio sessions from his mum and dad just to keep his lower limbs from getting stiff. But this hard work has paid off with Jack now having enough strength to walk with the aid of splints and a walking frame and not being totally reliant on a wheelchair.
These daily sessions are essential to maintain his current condition, but also mean the family struggle with all the other normal things that a busy family would usually have to contend with.
To try and continue to improve Jack’s strength and mobility it was apparent that he needed somewhere to allow him to focus on his physio without simple distractions. Getting Jack to a local gym to further strengthen his limbs was impracticable due to his age, nor would they be set up to deal with Jack’s specific needs and that’s where the SPBF stepped in!
Being made aware of the Fund’s willingness to assist in supporting its members within the Police family, Jack’s parents made an application to our charity and in just a few simple steps, we were able to inform the family that we would be delighted to provide them with financial support to make Jack’s life that little bit easier.
With our support, the family were quickly able to decide upon a suitable design that met their specific needs and appoint local contractors to construct Jack’s new Gym within the confines of the back garden of the family home.
Now fully constructed and equipped with all the necessary pieces of equipment to assist Jack in continuing his physical development. The ultimate aim and hope is for Jack to be able to walk completely unaided in the future.
Jack knows this is no easy task and will require a lot of work and dedication on his part, but he is determined he will get there and so now tongue in cheek refers to his new Gym as his own personal ‘House of Pain!’
Jack’s parents have expressed their sincere gratitude to the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund and its members for all the support and assistance given. It’s great to see Jack happy at work in his ‘House of Pain’ and we shall be watching with keen interest on his progress towards those big steps.
The SPBF previously produced a series of short videos spotlighting some of our work over the years. In them, officers and their families tell us their stories and what the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund has done for them. You can view these videos by clicking on our blog via the home page. If you know somebody who needs help then contact us.
It costs less than the price of a cup of coffee a month to become a member of the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund, giving you peace of mind that in times of need or hardship, we have your back even long after you retire. If you’d like to join the SPBF, make a donation or raise funds for us please get in touch.
SPBF receive generous donation from family of William Scott in his memory.
Mr Scott (or Billy or Scotty as he was known to friends and family), aged 90, tragically died after falling into water in the Leith area near Victoria Bridge in December 2018.
Initially reported missing from his home in the Chesser area of the city, an extensive search by Police assisted by members of the public and other services resulted sadly in him being found in tragic circumstances with assistance of the Search Dogs.
Following the announcement the family publicly thanked all those who had supported them throughout the ordeal and made special mention of the help and kindness shown by Police when dealing with them.
As a result the family took a collection at the funeral of Mr Scott and it was their wish that this be donated to the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund to assist members of the Police family in time of need, in memory of their father/grandfather.
The family were subsequently invited to Fettes Police Station to meet the Police dog and handler involved and given a guided tour of the Police Station as well as a spin in a Police car. It was during this invitation that the family handed over the significant donation to a Trustee of the SPBF.
The SPBF would like to acknowledge and express our sincere thanks for the generous donation made by the family. Rest assured that monies received will be put to a good cause in assisting those requiring assistance from the charity. The SPBF is extremely grateful to the family in making such a kind gesture to the Police family at a time of such sadness, and we hope that they can find some solace in the knowledge that the money they have donated in memory of their father and grandfather will make a difference to others.
Should you wish to make a donation in memory of a loved one, or just wish to make a donation, then please get in touch via our contacts page or click on the donate link at the top right of this page.
The picture above shows Mr Scott’s family during their visit to Fettes meeting with the search dog.
How we helped Eythan go for Gold!
We are delighted to announce that following assistance provided by the fund to another worthy cause and member of the Police family, we have enabled a budding sports star of the future to live his dream.
Eythan Galloway (13), son of serving Police Officer and dog handler Ryan, suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy but has never let that get in his way, taking part in sport and wishing to represent his own country. Eythan was already performing to a high standard in the new upcoming sport of Powerchair Football, but was restricted in progressing further, as the financial cost of obtaining the latest state of the art equipment to play at top level, was out of reach of the family.
Following a successful application to the SPBF, we were able to assist in securing the latest powered sports wheelchair from the USA and this has allowed Eythan to go from strength to strength and develop his natural talent for the sport further.
Eythan’s hard work and determination has ultimately paid off and we were delighted to hear that he was selected to try out for the National Squad in May last year. Eythan clearly impressed the coaches and went on to be selected to play for Scotland in the first ever Scottish Powerchair Football game which took place in Largs in December 2018. Not only that, but Eythan whilst earning his first cap for Scotland went on to score the first ever goal for Scotland that day!
Since then Eythan has gone from strength to strength, travelling to Leeds in February this year where once again he was selected to play in the Duncan Scales Memorial Cup where the team came a credible second in the tournament.
The family are immensely proud of their budding star and are currently waiting to hear if Eythan will be one of 6 Scottish players selected to travel to Belfast in May 2019 for the first International competition against Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland national squads. Good luck Eythan!
Eythan’s family have expressed their sincere thanks for the support the SPBF has given them over the years and surely we will see much more of him in a Scotland jersey as he hones those skills further. The SPBF will be watching with keen interest and wish Eythan and all the players of the Scottish Powerchair Football Team all the very best in their future endeavours and becoming a top class international team.
The SPBF previously produced a series of short videos spotlighting some of our work over the years. In them, officers and their families tell us their stories and what the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund has done for them. You can view these videos by clicking on our blog via the home page. If you know somebody who needs help then contact us.
It costs less than the price of a cup of coffee a month to become a member of the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund, giving you peace of mind that in times of need or hardship, we have your back even long after you retire. If you’d like to join the SPBF, make a donation or raise funds for us please get in touch.