Readers can now vote for the north and north-east charities they believe should be named an official P&J charity partner.
As part of our 275 anniversary celebrations, The P&J 275 Community Fund was launched earlier this year as a way for us to celebrate and support the work of local charities across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and the Highlands, Islands and Moray.
Readers were asked to nominate charities which would then be in with the chance of being named as a P&J charity partner after a public vote.
More than 100 charities were nominated and split into four categories, grouped by region and size.
The charities with the most votes in each category will benefit from The P&J 275 Community Fund, receiving a minimum of £10,000 in the next year.
Our fifth charity partner is Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), which The P&J has supported since 2019.
As P&J charity partners, each of the charities will be supported by The Press and Journal throughout 2024, including at The P&J’s 275 Charity Gala, which will take place at Aberdeen’s P&J Live on February 2.
Vote today
Readers can learn about all of the nominated charities in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire large category below.
You can vote for your chosen charity in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire large category here.
Don’t forget – you can also submit your vote in each of the other three categories:
- Vote for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire small to medium
- Vote for Highlands, Islands and Moray large
- Vote for Highlands, Islands and Moray small to medium
Voting closes on Wednesday November 15.
A Bear Named Buttony
A Bear Named Buttony is a volunteer-led charity providing support to north-east children and young people living with a stoma.
The charity aims to raise awareness of stomas – an opening on the surface of the abdomen which has been surgically created to divert the flow of faeces or urine – and break down the taboos often associated with them.
There can be many medical reasons why a child might need to undergo stoma surgery, from a birth defect to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.
A Bear Named Buttony offers children a care package which includes a teddy bear complete with its very own stoma bag, as well as a story and colouring book.
The teddy bear, Buttony, has a small stoma bag on its stomach with a red button stitched on the inside to look like its very own stoma.
Since the Aberdeenshire-based charity was founded in 2015, it has donated more than 5,500 bears to children and young adults across the UK, including the north and north-east.
Older children are given a wash bag full of non-medical items to help adjust to life with a stoma.
If A Bear Named Buttony was to become one of the chosen P&J charity partners, it would continue to develop and expand its current educational project, which aims to educate every child at primary school across the north and north-east on stomas and in particular, inflammatory bowel disease.
Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club
Established in 1952, Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club is a Scottish Athletics sports club that fosters inclusivity.
Supported by a large team of coaches, the club offers guidance and training to athletes of all levels, and conducts diverse community-based athletics programmes for children at numerous locations throughout the city and its surrounding areas.
Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club aims to provide a friendly, fun and inclusive environment for athletes to achieve their potential in sport and in life.
The charity offers opportunities for existing athletes and new athletes, who previously may have been less able to access athletics opportunities due to a variety of barriers such as low income, disability or location.
Furthermore, the club boasts a thriving and expanding division dedicated to individuals of all ages with varying disabilities.
If chosen as a charity partner, Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club would use the funding to expand its free-to-attend community children’s athletics sessions to more locations across the north-east.
This would help to reach more children who may struggle to access athletics provision.
In addition to this, the club would further expand on the delivery of disability athletics.
With an ever-growing demand for these classes, it would look to purchase more equipment to ensure the classes can cater for demand and enable participation for all attendees.
Vote for Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club
Aberdeen Cyrenians
Aberdeen Cyrenians is a local charity and social care services provider that provides care and support for vulnerable people and anyone experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their home through poverty.
Started by Aberdeen University students as a soup kitchen, Aberdeen Cyrenians now puts the needs of north-east Scotland’s most vulnerable and socially excluded people first — leading at the frontline of service, care and influence for more than 50 years.
The charity supports people across the north-east affected by poverty, homelessness, abuse and exclusion, and works continuously to shift perceptions and change the outlook on homelessness and vulnerability in society.
From lifesaving administration of emergency medications, diverting suicide plans, preventing people from rough sleeping and successfully challenging and advocating for those excluded from the support they need, the charity offers lifesaving help and support to some of the most vulnerable people across the north-east.
Dedicated to supporting the community, Aberdeen Cyrenians aims to ensure no one struggles alone. From loneliness to the cost-of-living to climate change the charity is focused on ensuring the right support is available for anyone and everyone that needs help.
If Aberdeen Cyrenians was to become one of the chosen charity partners, it would use the funding to expand community support to ensure people are warm, fed and safe.
This opportunity would also allow the charity to offer two new educational classes, 25 new specialist support appointments, and one new group social activity per week, allowing people to develop new skills, connections and confidence.
Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust
The award-winning Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust (AFCCT) works with people of all ages and backgrounds to maximise the potential of communities and to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
The trust, which was established in 2014, focuses on how it can inspire and empower, particularly the next generation, through education and positive destinations, football, health and wellbeing.
Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust works in schools and runs football camps and festivals. Its work aligns to local, national and international frameworks aimed at reducing poverty and inequality while working to improve health, wellbeing and education.
The trust believes in the power of partnership and works with other organisations and agencies to further its impact in the community.
This impact has been recognised at the highest levels, including the Uefa Best Professional Football Club in the Community Award (2019) and Queens Award (2019).
From its work in schools to the provision of football coaching, camps and festivals, as well as management of football leagues and community initiatives including dementia friendly active ageing programmes, the trust enriches lives across the north-east of Scotland.
If successful in becoming a P&J charity partner, the trust would use the funds to invest in its education, health and wellbeing programmes.
With school budgets decreasing each year, the cost of delivery to schools is becoming harder. Using vital funds to offset the costs would support the young people in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire schools who work with AFCCT.
The impact that the charity has in schools is crucial to the mental and physical wellbeing to the young people it works with. With no cost to participants, funding is essential to sustain its activities.
Vote for Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust
Aberdeen Independent Multiple Sclerosis
Established in June 2021, Aberdeen Independent Multiple Sclerosis is run by a small group of dedicated volunteers who offer help and support to those affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) and other related neurological conditions in Aberdeen and surrounding areas.
The charity offers those affected access to digital and in-person social and exercise sessions to improve both physical and mental health.
Each week the charity offers three online chair-based exercise classes and one face-to-face class including seated yoga, arts and crafts and an informal social group.
Aberdeen Independent Multiple Sclerosis is dedicated to assisting and empowering individuals with MS to lead more independent lives.
This is achieved through promoting physical activity and reducing social isolation.
The exercise sessions focus on practising functional movements like squats and arm exercises to help maintain muscles necessary for everyday activities such as sitting down and reaching for items on shelves.
Finally, the charity’s arts and crafts and social groups help to reduce social isolation and provide opportunities for individuals to talk and share experiences.
If chosen as a charity partner, Aberdeen Independent Multiple Sclerosis would continue to develop and ensure anyone affected by MS and related neurological conditions feels supported.
Additionally, the charity would like to host an event with keynote speakers from the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, who would share insights into the ongoing research into finding a cure for MS.
The charity would also use this as an opportunity to learn from other charitable organisations and groups dedicated to supporting individuals with MS from all corners of Scotland.
Vote for Aberdeen Independent Multiple Sclerosis
Aberdeen Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity)
Aberdeen Sands supports parents and families who have been affected by the loss of a baby.
Run by volunteers and bereaved parents, the charity covers Aberdeen, parts of Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Providing support in the form of regular group meetings, emails and phone calls, Aberdeen Sands also offers help to parents who are expecting a baby after loss, as this can be a particularly difficult and emotional time.
Working closely with NHS Grampian – in particular, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital’s Rubislaw Ward and Ward Three at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin – the charity donates baby clothes, memory boxes and toiletries.
Cameras, USB sticks and photo albums are also donated by the charity’s members. This allows parents to create special memories of their baby in the short time they have with them.
Aberdeen Sands, which was established in the 1980s, has also provided the hospitals with furniture and helped to refurbish two en-suite rooms.
This year the charity helped to tidy up the garden at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital so parents can sit outside while they spend time at the facility.
If Aberdeen Sands was named as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would use the funds to help sustain its future and support any new projects.
Over the next year, the charity aims to continue to help families, share experiences with health professionals during training sessions, provide the hospitals with furnishings or items they require, hold Christmas services, maintain three memorial stone garden areas and collaborate with the Baird Family Hospital team as the build of the facility continues.
AberNecessities
AberNecessities exists to empower children throughout the north-east by ensuring they have the fundamental essentials and opportunities necessary for their growth, education, development and overall wellbeing.
AberNecessities plays a crucial role in assisting underprivileged families by suppling vital resources, such as maternity bundles, clothing, toys and age-appropriate equipment.
By guaranteeing access to fundamental items, the charity takes a crucial stride in supporting the wellbeing and development of local children.
The charity is most proud of the Believing in Magic Christmas campaign aimed to bring a little Christmas magic into every child’s home with Christmas Eve Boxes.
These boxes include cosy pyjamas, slippers, socks, festive activity, a Christmas story, a mug with hot chocolate, sweet treats, and a special treat for Santa and his reindeer.
With the generous donations from the community, brands and corporations, the charity has provided support to more than 12,000 people living in poverty across the north-east of Scotland.
In 2022, the charity made a significant impact by gifting Christmas magic to more than 2,700 children in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas.
If AberNecessities was named one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would like to use the funds to maintain adequate stock levels to meet increasing demand, and to support the Sweet Dreams campaign to provide beds to babies and children up to the age of 18, Hero campaign supporting survivor parents of domestic abuse, and Believing in Magic campaign for children and families to experience the joys of Christmas together.
Advocacy Service Aberdeen
Advocacy Service Aberdeen (ASA) provides free, confidential and independent advocacy support to people living in Aberdeen.
The charity helps people have a say in what is important to them, to be better understood and to make informed choices, and helps them understand and exercise their rights in various areas of their lives.
With free services covering a range of topics, ASA supports everyone from people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health problems, to unpaid carers, people struggling with addiction, victims of domestic abuse and many more.
Formed in 1996 in response to a growing national interest in independent advocacy, the charity initially supported individuals with mental illness, aimed to remove the stigma of client labels and ensure the service was available to all without discrimination.
Today, ASA continues to expand and identify areas of interest for advocacy, enabling people to take back control of their lives. More recently the charity received continuation funding for its high-demand domestic abuse advocacy service.
If ASA was named one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would use the funds to continue and expand the areas in high demand of independent advocacy support. The funding would also help provide portable Wi-Fi solutions and hardware equipment to ease people’s participation to group meetings remotely, overcoming travel costs and accessibility barriers.
Vote for Advocacy Service Aberdeen
Archway (Respite Care and Housing)
Operating in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Archway is a parent-led local charity that supports children and adults with learning disabilities and their families.
The charity understands that every person with a learning disability and their family face enormous challenges, and how crucial it is to understand their needs and offer the right support.
Archway offers online activities and on-site services, including permanent and respite care, in safe facilities. The respite breaks aim to give families the chance to put their caring responsibility on pause for a few days, allowing them to relax and focus on their own wellbeing.
Opened in 1990 by a group of parents and carers who identified a lack of support for people with learning disabilities, the charity has since grown and expanded and now cares for nearly 200 families across the north-east.
The charity is committed to supporting people with learning disabilities and their families on their journey through life, and is looking to secure a new property to develop additional supported living service for adults with profound learning disabilities.
If Archway was named as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would use the funds towards four main projects, creating a new supported living service, to purchase a new wheelchair-adapted minibus so everyone can participate in group and community activities, to organise the Archway Christmas Party, and to redevelop and upgrade the sensory environment at one of its sites.
Vote for Archway (Respite Care and Housing)
Autism and Neurodiversity North Scotland
Operating in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, Autism and Neurodiversity North Scotland (A-ND) provides support to children and adults on the autism spectrum or with neurodivergent conditions.
The charity offers a variety of services within its play-scheme, all catered to children and adults with autism or neurodiversity, aimed at building social and communication skills.
The play-scheme offers indoors and outdoors activities such as arts and crafts, baking and soft and sensory play, visiting playparks, outdoors sports and play areas, and local attractions.
Within its premises the charity also has a technology room designed for teenagers to take part in technology-based pursuits.
The charity, founded in 1987 by a small group of parents and professionals, was the first organisation of its kind in the north-east to offer help and support to autistic and neurodivergent individuals and families.
Working in partnership with SensationAll, A-ND was recently able to secure the creation of Binky the Sensory Bus, a double-decker sensory space on wheels, used to reach and offer support to more people across the north of Scotland.
Today the charity continues to support several families and to receive high levels of demand, with ever-growing waiting lists.
Should A-ND be named as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the funds will contribute to continuing its free services, to expand its play-scheme to support four more people per session, and to reward its essential and talented team members.
Vote for Autism and Neurodiversity North Scotland
Banff and Aberdeenshire Rescue and Rehoming Kennels
Banff and Aberdeenshire Rescue and Rehoming Kennels (Barrk) is a charitable service which helps rehome dogs that, for one reason or another, are in need of a new home.
The charity plays a vital role in the rehoming process for dogs, as well as safeguarding their wellbeing in instances where they have been abused, abandoned or neglected.
Should a dog come into the practice with a pre-signed condition Barrk will fund the cost of veterinary care for the duration on the dog’s life to ensure it is healthy and always supported.
The charity also operates a small canine training facility where it trains and rehabilitates any dangerous or disturbed dogs that come into its care, making sure all rehabilitation roots are explored.
Operating across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, as well as the Highlands and Islands and Moray, the charity was founded in 1996 in response to the closure of the Grampian Dog Sanctuary.
However, Barrk takes a more comprehensive approach to finding homes for dogs allowing, after careful investigation, for fostering while the charity searches for a suitable match.
If Barrk becomes one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, it will use the funds to keep helping dogs in critical conditions, to support them and owners in the rehoming process, to make sure all dogs receive appropriate training where necessary and, most of all, to continue to making sure four-legged friends are well cared for and happy.
Vote for Banff & Aberdeenshire Rescue & Rehoming Kennels
Beannachar Camphill Community
The Beannachar Camphill Community, founded around 40 years ago, supports young adults living with learning disabilities and helps them reach their full potential.
Approximately 30 service users are supported by the charity’s residential and day services, and contribute to their local community by carrying out various tasks and work.
A series of workshops, from crafts to gardening, is delivered throughout the year and the team also provides life-sharing experiences to young, overseas volunteers who live and work within the community on a charity-visa sponsored placement.
The team at Beannachar ensures everyone is recognised for their contributions to the local area, encouraging continuous engagement among staff, students and volunteers, and inspiring those outwith the group to give back to their community.
Many young people involved with the charity can celebrate their achievements through Beannachar’s Active Citizen Award, which demonstrates the learning goals acquired by service users.
Beannachar Camphill Community, which works with a restricted budget, hopes to become a charity partner to expand on provision of day services, including increasing the number of workshops they offer.
The charity would also like to invest in the two-acre walled garden it calls its “pride and joy”, due to the costly resources required for keeping hens.
Vote for Beannachar Camphill Community
Befriend a Child
Befriend a Child, established in 1975, provides vital support to children and young people who have grown up under difficult circumstances.
The charity sets out to ensure every child experiences a happy childhood and receives opportunities that will help them thrive throughout their lives.
Children experiencing difficulties such as social isolation, low confidence and self-esteem, poor wellbeing, or who are perhaps challenged by parental substance abuse and poverty, are referred to the charity.
Befriend a Child offers one-to-one befriending, mentoring and group sessions run by a dedicated team of staff and trained volunteers.
Befrienders build a trusting relationship with the youths and meet for several hours twice a month to participate in a range of activities to build the child’s confidence.
The charity also runs two youth clubs across Aberdeen’s priority areas, providing children an opportunity to engage with peers of a similar age, in addition to a family support project.
The project was set up in 2022 to support the families of befriended children struggling with the cost of living, isolation, abuse and a variety of circumstances that require practical and focused assistance.
As a result, Befriend a Child, which relies on donations and grants, has benefitted more than 245 children and their families.
To continue delivering a high-quality service, Befriend a Child would direct any additional funding into developing its community befriending projects which give youngsters opportunities to take part in community activities they may not otherwise be able to access.
Bonnymuir Green Community Trust
Originally the walled garden of one of Midstocket’s oldest houses, the Bonnymuir Green was gifted to the community in 1924 to establish a bowling club.
However, following the club’s closure in 2015, the green was left untended and became derelict.
This spurred into action a group of dedicated locals who began to develop plans to have the green re-developed for community use, and thus, the Bonnymuir Green Community Trust was born.
The trust runs a selection of activities from yoga classes to playgroup and book clubs in addition to hiring out the outdoor space to community groups and charities.
According to surveys, the Green has made a significant impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of visitors, who are encouraged to share the space to increase socialisation within the area.
Made up of a dedicated team of volunteers, the trust wants to upgrade the facilities, including the community cafe kitchen, and replace the roof, as well as build a greenhouse to help with the garden – all after consultation with the public.
If the trust was to be made a charity partner, it would invest all funds into the upkeep of Bonnymuir Green.
Vote for Bonnymuir Green Community Trust
Camphill School Aberdeen
Camphill School Aberdeen (CSA) has dedicated its mission to transforming the lives of children and young people with learning disabilities and complex additional support needs.
As many struggle with mainstream education, CSA helps the youngsters thrive by empowering their confidence and independence through expert care and therapy.
More than 100 young people, aged three to 25, currently access the services provided by CSA.
Most staff and volunteers live on-site, where they offer an integrated nursery to allow students access to the national curriculum; residential homes focusing on building independence and care for one another; a medical care set; and learning for life services, offering 16 to 25-year-olds work experience and a chance to develop vital life skills.
In the past year, 90% of service users managed to achieve, and exceed, their own personal targets with improvements being made in their health and wellbeing in addition to developing their confidence.
Around 89% of young people also achieved their STARS Awards, created to provide a meaningful alternative to further education and give vulnerable adults the opportunity to have their achievements recognised.
The charity now hopes to open its doors to a further 54 young people in need of support by completing the first phase of the 10-year campaign Building Futures, Transforming Lives. This will see an additional 11-bedroom home built to cater to service-users and host various crafts.
Vote for Camphill School Aberdeen
Cfine
Established in 1994, Cfine aims to improve health and wellbeing, the environment, tackle poverty and build resilience for and with disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals, families and communities.
To achieve the goal, the group has developed a range of services and support for disadvantaged, low-income communities across seven local authority areas, including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands and Islands and the Western Isles.
Some of the services are: community food outlets with fruit and vegetables planted in community settings; supporting more than 300 volunteers annually; employability and training; improving individuals’ finances; supporting pre and post-release offenders; free cooking class access; free access to period products; and access to free mental health support.
In the past year, the community has taken a hit with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and Cfine has taken to the frontline to ensure disadvantaged individuals have access to vital support services.
More than 35,000 emergency packages have been delivered since, with more than 2,000 individuals supported across the board.
Cfine will now continue to combat the cost-of-living crisis as numbers increase, particularly with those who have not accessed the service before.
Should Cfine be successful in becoming a chosen partner charity, the funding would be used to strengthen the development of activities across the priority communities to further benefit individuals and families with the support and opportunities they deserve.
Charlie House
Charlie House, established in 2010, supports and provides care for babies, children and young people living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions across the north-east.
The charity was founded by local mum, Tracy Johnstone, after she discovered a lack of support for her family and newborn son, who requires full-time care.
Only two of the UK’s 46 children’s respite centres are in Scotland and Tracy had to travel to the Central Belt to find the resources her family needed.
Tracy identified the need for such a service in the north-east and set out to establish Charlie House.
The children supported by Charlie House often require 24-hour care, which can put immense pressure on their families.
To relieve the challenges faced by parents and carers, the charity delivers both practical and emotional support, as well as more than 100 activities throughout the year.
Each activity is tailored to meet the needs of families with many catering for various age groups and last year, the charity raised an impressive £190,000 at a fundraiser highlighting the positive impact Charlie House is making on the community.
The charity now hopes to begin work on a specialist support centre, a long-term goal.
As a charity partner, Charlie House would dedicate funding to construction costs for a centre that would provide planned and emergency respite, palliative and end-of-life care, and information for the families they support.
Childline Aberdeen – NSPCC Scotland
Residing in the Meridian Building on Union Row, Childline Aberdeen is a front-line NSPCC Scotland service built on a model of listening to and empowering children and young people.
Childline Aberdeen has been a place for children and young people to turn to when in distress or danger since its launch in 2004, providing a safe, supportive and confidential space that many children need.
Completely free of charge and available whenever children or young people need support, Childline Aberdeen carried out more than 13,000 counselling sessions last year alone. It ensures that those who need help receive it.
Childline strongly believes that every childhood is worth fighting for and actively helps children who have been abused rebuild their lives; protects children who are at risk; and finds the best ways of preventing abuse from occurring.
Due to demand, currently one in three contacts to Childline is going unanswered, and with 90% of operating income coming from voluntary donations, any additional financial aid will help provide more support to those very much in need.
Becoming one of The P&J’s 275 charity partners would provide the required funding to cover the recruitment, training and support costs of six new volunteer counsellors in 2024, which would enable 1,200 more contacts to be answered.
Vote for Childline Aberdeen – NSPCC Scotland
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (Chas)
For more than 30 years, Chas (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland) has been offering a full family support service for babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions.
Through hospices, home care services and hospital presence, Chas provides palliative care, family respite and support throughout Scotland.
In the north-east of Scotland, at the dedicated Chas at home base in Aberdeen, the charity team works with more than 50 families to ensure they are receiving the support they need during the worst time imaginable.
The team cares for children in their own homes or hospitals, providing families with choices and opportunities that didn’t seem possible before Chas.
In the past year, Chas in Aberdeen has established the largest specialist paediatric palliative care team in a children’s hospital outside London.
Through this new team, Chas hopes to reach even more families across the north-east.
This holistic team of specialists will be able to support families in sourcing funding and saving money, while providing care for their child and bereavement support for them through home support volunteers.
If Chas was named as one of The P&J’s 275 charity partners for 2024, this would allow the charity to continue to support those in need and provide opportunities for those who deserve them most.
Clan
Clan is a charity that provides free services for individuals experiencing practical, physical and psychological difficulties during a cancer diagnosis.
With 11 wellbeing centres and outreach bases spread across areas including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland, Clan ensures that even those in the most isolated communities can access resources and support.
The organisation’s history dates back to 1983 when it was established as a way of addressing the lack of non-medical cancer support in Aberdeen.
Clan has since grown into the largest independent cancer charity in north-east Scotland, with 50 staff, 25 therapists, and 300 volunteers.
Clan’s core services include a drop-in/telephone service, children and families service, and NHS-aligned therapies. In the past year, Clan has provided 9,077 support sessions to 1,575 clients, with 1,017 being first-time seekers.
As the charity celebrates its 40th anniversary, it aims to maintain its commitment to person-centred, community-based support. Clan plans to adapt to changing service requirements by adopting digital solutions, expanding outreach, and engaging in educational work within schools and workplaces.
Becoming a P&J 275 charity partner would allow Clan to directly fund 300 support sessions for children and young people impacted by a cancer diagnosis, offer 450 complementary therapies to improve the quality of life for cancer patients, and cover the cost of their “living with cancer” support and wellbeing groups for a full year.
Deeside and Kincardine Branch of Cats Protection
Run by a small team of dedicated, cat-loving volunteers, the Deeside and Kincardine Branch of Cats Protection is committed to improving the lives of cats and kittens.
Cats Protection, originally established in 1927 by Jessey Wade, is now the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and helps an average of 157,000 cats and kittens every year, thanks to its network of more than 200 volunteers and 34 help centres.
Unfortunately, thousands of cats each year are either abandoned or stray, and rely heavily on the support of charities like Cats Protection.
The team at the Deeside and Kincardine branch work tirelessly to find new homes for local cats, offer support with neutering, and provide general education and awareness within the community.
The charity hopes to continue to offer help and assistance to many more cats and kittens next year, regardless of the situation or circumstances. Cats Protection exists to offer support and help to those within the local community whenever they need it.
By becoming one of The P&J’s 275 charity partners, the Deeside and Kincardine Branch of Cats Protection would be able to replace its old van, which is not ULEZ compliant.
The charity would be able to get a new van and continue to help cats and kittens throughout the community, providing a much-needed service.
Vote for Deeside & Kincardine Branch of Cats Protection
Denis Law Legacy Trust
The Denis Law Legacy Trust is a charitable organisation that focuses on providing free-to-access programmes and positive activities for young people.
The primary goals of the organisation are to reduce youth crime and anti-social behaviour, improve the health and wellbeing of young people, and to promote inclusivity through sports, physical activity and creative endeavours.
The charity is named after and endorsed by Denis Law, the only Scotsman to win the Ballon d’Or. The charity is supported by a dedicated team, volunteers, and partners including Robert Gordon University, Police Scotland, and Scottish Fire and Rescue.
Streetsport, the organisation’s flagship programme, created in partnership with Robert Gordon University, conducts free youth-led activity sessions five nights a week, 50 weeks a year in areas identified as the most deprived in Aberdeen.
Last year, Streetsport had more than 15,000 participants and contributed to a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour in targeted areas.
The Denis Law Legacy Trust played a pivotal role in bringing Cruyff Courts, which provide free access to multi-sport pitches in urban areas, to Aberdeen.
The group was also involved in removing all “No Ball Games” signs from Aberdeen to further promote the importance of free sport and remove barriers for young people to play in their community.
If selected as one of The P&J 275 charity partners, Denis Law Legacy Trust would continue to expand operations, develop new sessions, and work to engage more young people in programmes to help reduce youth crime and anti-social behaviour, while improving the health and wellbeing of the community.
Vote for Denis Law Legacy Trust
Fersands and Fountain SCIO
Fersands and Fountain SCIO’s mission is to provide a range of vital services to a regeneration area of Aberdeen.
The charity, founded in 1980 by a group of passionate residents, serves communities living in streets including Sandilands Drive, Ferrier Crescent, Ferrier Gardens, Marquis Road, Western Road and Great Northern Road.
Through services such as informal learning and support, the charity hopes to reduce poverty and increase equality.
Today, Fersands and Fountain SCIO provides residents with a family centre, nursery, junior clubs, youth groups, a pantry and more.
It also offers an after-school club, classes for adults, a cafe and a charity shop. Throughout the year the charity organises various community events.
As a result of the cost-of-living crisis, the charity has had to expand its services even further in a bid to support residents in need.
In October last year, to try to provide further help, the charity established a free cafe which runs twice a week.
Working in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, the charity also ran a project to ensure local housing was up to standard. More than 20 homes were improved with repairs, damp and damage issues all resolved.
The group’s charity shop provides low-cost essentials such as clothing, toys and homeware.
If Fersands and Fountain SCIO was named as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would use the funds to continue to expand its services. In particular, it would complete its nursery to give children under five an outdoor space.
Vote for Fersands & Fountain SCIO
Friends of Anchor
Friends of Anchor supports cancer and haematology patients in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland.
The charity’s person-centred wellbeing services are freely available for every patient, with programmes also available for the staff caring for them.
Friends of Anchor invests in medical equipment and pioneering research to push the boundaries in how we diagnose, treat and care for people, while a pledge to promote clinical excellence includes funded development programmes for NHS clinical staff to enhance knowledge and expertise.
Annually, Friends of Anchor – which was founded in 1997 – commits £100,000 towards multiple research projects, taking place within Aberdeen University.
As the partner charity for The Anchor Centre, Friends of Anchor committed to an ambitious fundraising target of £2 million to “Deliver the Difference” when the centre opens in early 2024. Just last month, that target was achieved.
The charity runs regular fundraising events including Brave + Courage on the Catwalk at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom.
A wellbeing team – based within the Anchor Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary – offers face-to-face support, from co-ordinating wellbeing services such as massage, podiatry and mindfulness courses to the morning paper round.
If named a P&J charity partner, the charity would dedicate funds towards a number of initiatives such as the wellbeing therapy programme, which gives patients the opportunity to have treats like getting their nails done, care packs, a daily treat trolley and more.
Every penny would make a significant difference to those throughout the city, Aberdeenshire, Highlands, and Islands.
Friends of Roxburghe House Grampian
Friends of Roxburghe House Grampian supports a specialist palliative care unit at Aberdeen’s Roxburghe House.
The charity works to provide help to patients, their families and staff who work at the inpatient and day unit.
Through donations from families, friends and corporate partnerships, the charity funds a range of projects, such as providing specialist beds, days out for staff, building projects and other equipment.
Friends of Roxburghe House Grampian also likes to be able to give patients festive treats, presents, ice cream van visits and purchase plants for the facility’s garden space.
Recently the group was able to buy new seating for every patient in their rooms and the day unit.
Friends of Roxburghe House would like to complete several projects in the next year.
The charity boasted a large number of volunteers before the pandemic and would like to grow numbers again to support activities.
The charity is also aiming to support the refurbishment of the coffee bar area, to make it a welcoming space for everyone at Roxburghe House.
Another goal would be to redevelop an area of Roxburghe House’s outdoor space, making it a place for all to enjoy.
A team of volunteers currently tends to the garden, with Friends of Roxburghe House Grampian providing funding for plants, gardening supplies, bird tables and feeders.
The charity funded the removal of an old pond in the garden this year and hopes to transform the area.
Any funding received by the charity from The P&J 275 Community Fund would go towards enhancing this space with potential for a children’s play area.
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Friends of the Neuro Ward
Friends of the Neuro Ward supports patients with neurological injuries and disorders.
Together, the volunteers behind the charity – who each have a personal connection to the neuro wards – work to improve the care of patients on wards 204 and 205 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), and the Neurological Rehab Unit at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen.
Patients can come from as far as the Highlands and Islands, and many have conditions such as brain or spinal tumours or injuries, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s or Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Since being founded 10 years ago, the charity has completed a number of projects to make life more comfortable for patients and their families.
Projects include upgrading the day room, installing wet rooms and purchasing equipment such as mattresses, recliner chairs, cough assist machines and hoists.
The charity also helps to buy smaller items including iPads, speakers, games and activities for the patients to enjoy.
Friends of the Neuro Ward was set up by Caroline Critchlow, whose husband Kevin was rushed to ARI from their home in Orkney with a severe acoustic neuroma – a benign brain tumour.
Kevin spent five weeks on the ward and during that time Caroline decided to raise cash for refurbishments. From there, Friends of the Neuro Ward was created.
If named a P&J charity partner, funding would be used to establish and pay for a nurse educator role.
The role would see a successful candidate spending time in various roles/teams within neurology/neuroscience, to develop their skills and pass that knowledge on to others in the team.
This would benefit patients in the long-run and also help with staff retention on the ward.
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Grampian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association
Grampian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association (GCRA) is committed to empowering people with cardiac and long-term health conditions throughout the region to exercise safely and effectively, improving the quality of their lives.
The charity’s health team of professional specialist exercise instructors lead a network of exercise classes for those with cardiac conditions and conditions linked to respiratory problems, mental health, diabetes, obesity and musculoskeletal problems.
Family, friends and carers are also welcome to join the charity’s friend exercise community and improve their general health.
The charity currently runs 25 weekly classes and hopes to grow this after it was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic – it previously ran 37 classes.
Funding for the charity is vital for helping to rebuild its network of specialist classes.
The team at GCRA understands that people living with cardiac and long-term health conditions can face many disadvantages, including increased morbidity, reduced mobility and an increased risk of developing mental health problems, and can become socially isolated.
Therefore, GCRA is committed to supporting as many people as possible to rebuild their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and engage with their exercise community to reduce social isolation.
GCRA says there is an additional need for its specialist exercise provision throughout the region due to the NHS backlog for treatments and surgeries, as people seek proactive ways of managing their health in the interim.
If the charity was named as a beneficiary of The P&J 275 Community Fund, the funds would be used to cover class subsidies while exercise classes were fully reinstated and attendance built up.
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Grampian Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre
Grampian Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre aims to show people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions how best to take care of themselves physically and mentally.
The Aberdeen centre uses various therapies including oxygen therapy to help provide relief from fatigue, pain and other symptoms.
Based in Dyce, the centre opened in 1983 and is run by a team of five. The charity heavily relies on the support of volunteers to run the centre and fundraising events.
Those who run the charity are extremely proud of the work they do and enjoy helping clients who often contact the centre feeling pain and in poor mental health.
Staff and volunteers make service users feel comfortable and welcome them into a safe, friendly environment.
As well as MS, other conditions treated by the centre include fibromyalgia, ME, cancer, injuries and long Covid.
Currently, the charity is fundraising to secure larger premises to meet demand, as well as funding for day-to-day running costs.
If Grampian Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre was to be named as a P&J Charity Partner 2024, the charity would use any funds to cover costs for equipment such as oxygen masks, hoses and oxygen.
With an increase in the number of people needing treatment, the service is in need of a larger chamber with increased capacity.
The centre also requires more treatment rooms for therapists, plus it would benefit from premises which offers more car parking spaces for users with mobility issues.
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Grampian Transport Museum Trust
Grampian Transport Museum Trust operates Grampian Transport Museum.
Based in Alford, the educational charity cares for, conserves and displays a collection of transport for the benefit of and to educate people in the north-east.
The charity also organises and delivers a comprehensive events programme, a young engineers club and heritage skills workshop.
The history of Grampian Transport Museum can be traced back to the early 1970s, when a number of local enthusiasts became conscious of the fact there was a very active interest in historic transport in the north-east.
In 1978, the Grampian Transport Museum Association was formed with the main objective of establishing a transport museum.
Fundraising then began in earnest and building work was completed in September 1982. The museum in its present form opened in April 1983.
The charity launched its heritage skills workshops in response to the skills shortage that the heritage sector is experiencing.
Industrial heritage skills are on the decline, with many of these skills becoming critically endangered.
The charity has piloted a number of sessions in the past year and is now in the process of planning the next programme of workshops – looking at skills such as welding, metal-forming, vehicle upholstery, classic car maintenance and much more.
Grampian Transport Museum Trust would use any funds to invest in the heritage skills programme, to source facilitators who are experts in their field and provide equipment and training opportunities for those interested in keeping these skills alive.
This would include subsidised or free places for young people or those experiencing economic disadvantage.
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Home-Start Aberdeen
Home-Start Aberdeen is a family support charity providing practical and emotional support to around 200 families with young children in Aberdeen.
The charity – which has been running for 35 years – helps families to create a secure and loving home environment where their children can grow up happy, healthy and confident, and able to achieve their full potential.
With families in the city facing more pressures than ever including poverty, poor mental health, social isolation, illness and disability, bereavement, relationship breakdown and parenting skills, the charity’s aim is to respond to families’ needs.
Home-Start Aberdeen ensures that difficulties and challenges don’t escalate into crises and family breakdown.
The charity’s trained volunteers work alongside the whole family to make sure that parents have the skills, knowledge and resources they need to give their children the best possible start in life.
Home-Start Aberdeen is continuing the development of its Our Recipe for Life healthy eating project to provide families with advice and support on healthy eating.
Families taking part receive food packs, recipes in easy-to-read and video formats, kitchen equipment packs, one-to-one and small group video cooking sessions led by trained volunteers and staff, and the offer of a year’s membership of Cfine’s community food pantry.
If named as P&J charity partner 2024, Home-Start Aberdeen would look to support a number of projects including its perinatal mental health project.
Currently the charity runs a perinatal mental health peer support group which provides a safe and nurturing environment for families who are pregnant or have a child aged under one year old.
Home-Start Kincardine
Home-Start Kincardine has provided non-judgmental, compassionate support to families in Kincardine and Mearns for nearly 30 years.
The charity aims to make sure children have the best possible start in life – because childhood can’t wait.
The families supported by Home-Start Kincardine face challenges in their lives including homelessness, loneliness/isolation, domestic abuse, physical/mental health issues, bereavement, financial difficulties, relationship breakdown or disability.
The charity – which was established in 1994 – recruits and trains volunteers who visit families at home or out in the community once a week for around two to three hours.
On a day-to-day basis, families are provided with hands-on practical support in or out of the family home, emergency supplies of food, clothes and other basic essentials, assistance with form filling, transport to help them access other services, childcare to enable parents to attend vital appointments and, maybe most importantly, a listening ear.
Home-Start Kincardine’s staff, volunteers and trustees all live in the area they serve, therefore they are an authentic, independent service tuned in and responding to the needs of families in their communities.
Last year, the charity helped 108 adults and 133 children and the demand for support is ever-increasing.
If successful in becoming a charity partner, any funds from The P&J 275 Community Fund would be used to ensure the sustainability of the service so it can continue to provide life-changing support to local families.
Home-Start Kincardine is financially independent from Home-Start Aberdeen.
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Kayleigh’s Wee Stars
Kayleigh’s Wee Stars provides financial grants and support to families with a child who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Having a child with a terminal illness brings many challenges, but the financial impact is something that is often overlooked.
A grant from Kayleigh’s Wee Stars can relieve additional stress and worry, and provide some much-needed financial security and peace of mind.
Families use grants from the charity to meet various immediate financial needs, from paying housing costs and bills, to travel costs for treatment and hospital or hospice visits, as well as helping with childcare for siblings.
The financial assistance can also help with the cost of specialist equipment, accessibility adaptations, allow one or both parents to take time off work or simply help the family spend some final undisturbed time together to make lasting memories.
Kayleigh’s Wee Stars – which is based in Oldmeldrum – was set up by Jonathan and Anna Cordiner, after they lost their two-year-old daughter Kayleigh to terminal illness in 2012.
The couple met many families who had a child diagnosed with a terminal illness, many of whom were facing financial struggles.
Jonathan and Anna believed money is the last thing parents should have to worry about at such an impossible time, and so, with a desire to do something to help, they established Kayleigh’s Wee Stars.
Since its inception about 10 years ago, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars has raised more than
£1 million and helped around 800 families.
If named as a P&J charity partner, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars simply wishes to continue to offer vital support to as many families as possible who are caring for a terminally ill child.
Kincardine and Deeside Befriending
Kincardine and Deeside Befriending addresses the issue of loneliness and social isolation among people over the age of 55, who are living independently in their own homes within local communities.
Established in 1996, the charity became independent of the Voluntary Action Network in 2001. Subsequently, the organisation became an unincorporated association with charitable status.
The charity works across south Aberdeenshire, from Banchory-Devenick, down the coastal strip to St Cyrus, and across to Laurencekirk.
In Deeside, the charity covers from Drumoak to Ballater, not forgetting the smaller communities in very rural areas. These rural communities have limited access to or no public transport, which exacerbates isolation.
The charity has two offices – in Stonehaven and Banchory.
In the past year, 114 older people have been supported with a befriending match, with 98% saying that befriending has helped to improve their social contacts, and increase their self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as improving their mood.
This coming year the charity is working on increasing that capacity across all communities by 14% without increasing staff hours.
It hopes next year to be able to offer 40 match spaces in Kincardine and 45 match spaces in Deeside per month.
Should the charity receive a share of funds from The P&J 275 Community Fund, this would be put towards core costs, including staffing, volunteer expenses and training, utilities, and more.
Overall, this would help the charity to continue to offer a service to the vulnerable, older people in north-east communities.
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Lead Scotland
Lead Scotland is a charity which provides supported educational opportunities for disabled people and carers across Scotland, including Aberdeenshire, who are economically and socially disadvantaged.
The charity’s projects in the north-east help people who identify as disabled and/or a carer, who are post-school and may be experiencing multiple barriers to accessing work, learning, education, community engagement and volunteering.
The young people who the charity has helped have gone on to find employment and volunteering opportunities.
Helping people to find a project they are passionate about is key. In the past people have discovered their love of local history or helping animals.
This has led to many other opportunities for them in the community.
The charity’s learning project for adults has allowed people to gain qualifications that they never thought possible in the past.
People have developed maths skills and digital skills to help with their employability skills and to help them communicate with family.
A lot of this work would not be possible without volunteers as they help to support learners to achieve their goals, whether that be achieving a qualification or wanting to develop literacy and numeracy skills.
Lead Scotland wants to enable and support disabled people and carers to become change makers within communities, reducing the significant learning, health, social and employment inequalities that exist when compared with the general population.
If named as a charity partner, Lead Scotland would aim to provide support to learn for many more disabled adults, carers and people who are experiencing multiple barriers to learning, community involvement and employment.
Maggie’s Aberdeen
Located at Aberdeen’s Royal Infirmary, Maggie’s is designed to feel more like a home than a hospital. No receptions, waiting areas, or staff in uniform mean the centre provides a warm, welcoming and calming environment for its visitors.
Maggie’s welcomes up to 10,000 visits each year from people living with cancer, and their family and friends.
The team provides a wide range of services, including support from cancer support specialists, one-to-one support from a clinical psychologist, and financial support from a dedicated benefits adviser.
In 1996, Maggie’s first centre opened in Edinburgh. Maggie’s Aberdeen opened in 2013, welcoming more than 72,000 visits from people living with cancer, and their family and friends since.
Maggie’s has supported more than 1,000 new people with a cancer diagnosis in the past year. The charity’s ongoing commitment to provide the very best cancer support is a huge source of pride for the team in Aberdeen and is reflected in an ever-growing programme.
In the year ahead, the expert team at the centre will continue to provide a vital programme of emotional, practical and psychological support to anyone who needs help.
If Maggie’s was successful in becoming a P&J charity partner for 2024, the support could help to fund the vital benefits advice service in Aberdeen.
A donation of £10,000 could pay for an entire month of support, allowing hundreds of people living with cancer, and their family and friends to benefit from expert advice from cancer support specialists.
Marie Curie
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity, supporting people through all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.
Marie Curie nurses and healthcare assistants work night and day to ensure everyone gets to have the best experience possible at the end of their life.
Founded in 1948, this year Marie Curie is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Over the past 75 years, Marie Curie has been there for millions of people. Locally, there is a community fundraiser based in Dingwall covering the Highlands and Islands, and another based in Aberdeen.
Closing the gap in end-of-life care is one of Marie Curie’s top priorities, ensuring more people don’t die without the care and support they need.
However, one in four people don’t get the care and support they need, and the problem is growing fast.
The charity’s mission over the next five years and beyond is to close this gap in end-of-life care.
Between now and 2028, Marie Curie aims to design and deliver services providing the best possible care and support to people living with any terminal illness and those close to them.
It costs £23 to fund an hour of Marie Curie nursing care, and if the charity was successful in receiving funds from The P&J 275 Community Fund, the donation would be used to continue to provide this service.
Also, with this, Marie Curie could further enhance the care and support for people living with a terminal illness and their families across the north-east.
Mearns and Coastal Healthy Living Network
Mearns and Coastal Healthy Living Network (MCHLN) supports the voice, wellbeing and health of people over the age of 50 in Kincardine and Mearns.
Many of those it works with might be living alone on lower incomes, experiencing mobility difficulties, living with dementia, and facing loneliness or isolation. All have a valuable contribution to make to society.
The charity was established in 2002 and celebrated its 20th year in 2022.
MCHLN serves an area of approximately 300sq miles that is home to more than 40,000 people.
The 80-strong volunteer network is co-ordinated by a small staff group of seven part-time workers, backed by a board of seven individuals.
In the past year, the charity was awarded organisation of the year at the Grampian Volunteer Transport Awards.
Its oldest driver, Ken, then 86, was awarded Volunteer of the Year.
MCHLN runs 550 groups, classes, and activities annually, focusing on combating the negative effects of loneliness and isolation, as well as working against digital exclusions from society.
If MCHLN was to be made a charity partner for 2024, the funds would go towards maintaining the suite of groups, classes and activities that are designed to combat loneliness and isolation and improve wellbeing and health.
Additionally, the funds would help the charity to continue to run a heavily subsidised transport service, which enables older people to affordably attend healthcare appointments in our communities.
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MND Scotland
The vision of MND Scotland is of a world without motor neurone disease (MND).
Until that day comes, MND Scotland is there to “make time count” for everyone affected by MND across the country, including in the north and north-east.
MND is a rapidly progressing terminal neurological illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This causes muscle weakness and wasting.
The illness can rob someone of their ability to walk, talk, swallow and breathe unaided. The average life expectancy of someone with MND is just 18 months from diagnosis.
There is no cure or meaningful treatments.
The charity has funded ground-breaking research and world-class clinical trials since it was established more than 40 years ago.
Recently, MND Scotland established the Lived Experience and Researcher Network to facilitate communication between people affected by MND and active researchers.
This helps researchers better understand the experiences of people with MND and permits those living with it an insight into research and up-to-date knowledge in the field.
These networks are being trialled in Scotland, with one based at Aberdeen University.
This year MND Scotland announced a £2 million investment into the UK’s biggest ever MND clinical drug trial, MND-SMART, which has a local trial centre within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The trial, which is the charity’s biggest ever research investment, enables people living with MND across Aberdeenshire and the north-east to participate in testing potential MND treatments.
If MND Scotland was named as a charity partner, the funds would provide essential equipment, assist with the running costs of two specialist holiday homes (finding suitable holiday accommodation can be difficult and often frustrating for people living with MND), provide financial support and more.
Montrose Playhouse Project SCIO
The Montrose Playhouse is a new state-of-the-art community cinema and hub that opened in 2021 with £2.5 million in funding from the Scottish Government.
It is a prominent, distinctive facility for social and cultural events which enables audiences and participants to see, experience, learn and create in a safe and welcoming environment.
The facility is open seven days a week from 9am to 11pm, putting it right at the heart of the community.
The charity offers activities at low or no cost for people experiencing barriers to participation including social isolation and loneliness, physical and mental health conditions and financial inequalities.
The Playhouse proudly promotes inclusivity, connection, and awareness, making a truly valuable contribution to the community of Montrose and the surrounding areas.
The Montrose Playhouse Project began in February 2013, with the playhouse reopening in 2021 and welcoming more than 120,000 visitors in its first year.
As a not-for-profit organisation, funding grants, donations and sponsors are essential.
If the charity was to become a P&J charity partner for 2024, the funds would be helping the organisation to help the community one film at a time.
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Mrs Murray’s Home for Stray Dogs and Cats
Mrs Murray’s Home for Stray Dogs and Cats cares for homeless pets from Aberdeen and surrounding areas.
Based in Aberdeen’s Seaton, the charity was founded by Mrs Susan Murray in 1889, when she was saddened by the plight of homeless dogs which roamed the city.
Inspired by this, she started a place of refuge and shelter for lost and stray dogs.
Mrs Murray’s is one of the largest places of its kind in the north-east, receiving no government or lottery funding, and is largely dependent on legacies and public donations to help towards the cost of looking after the animals in its care.
The charity’s mission is to provide a safe haven, food, and veterinary treatment for all that come through its doors.
Mrs Murray’s is extremely proud of its staff who work hard to place dogs and cats with their forever families.
If Mrs Murray’s was to be named a P&J charity partner for 2024, the funds would go towards creating a modern, permanent structure that would provide shelter to the cats and dogs of the north-east who need it.
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Music 4 U
Music 4 U provides fully integrated music and theatre workshops for children and young people in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, providing free places for those with additional support needs.
The charity’s workshops bring inclusivity and integration to the performing arts sector, enabling students to understand, learn, help and support each other through song, dance and theatre.
The group also offers volunteer opportunities, including Saltire and Duke of Edinburgh, supporting the development of key life skills.
Music 4 U started in 2003 and became a charity in 2005. Founded as a local community singing group in Dyce with six children, the group has grown organically to deliver an extensive timetable of classes and can now accommodate up to 94 young people.
The charity is located at Waterloo Quay in Aberdeen, where there is office and rehearsal space.
Music 4 U aims to continue running existing workshops at Waterloo Quay and in the community, and to raise its public profile so that more children can benefit from support.
The charity also aims to introduce new projects including guitar workshops, ukulele workshops and a choir, and to work with schools so that more children can benefit and learn new skills.
All of the above will ultimately allow for the support of more young people with additional support needs.
Funds from The P&J 275 Community Fund would enable Music 4 U to continue offering free places for children and young people in music and theatre workshops, in the process ensuring students have equal access to opportunities and can fulfil their potential.
North East Scotland Preservation Trust
The North East Scotland Preservation Trust (NESPT) exists to protect and conserve the built heritage of the north-east of Scotland.
It takes on projects no other organisation will touch, using its charitable status to raise funds to bring historic buildings back into productive use to benefit the local community.
An example of the charity’s work includes the redevelopment of the category B-listed Back Green, Portsoy, to form the four-star Sail Loft Bunkhouse.
Established in 1985 as a revolving fund building preservation trust, buildings were acquired and restored, mainly as houses using grant funding, and then sold to provide the funds for the next project.
NESPT is currently undertaking the conversion of the category B-listed former Clydesdale Bank in Fraserburgh into an extension to the Stag and Thistle Hotel.
Elsewhere, the primary focus of the trust’s work will be in Portsoy, where, thanks to the generosity of the late Thomas Burnett-Stuart, six listed buildings are about to be acquired.
The buildings are clustered around the Old Harbour and include the Corf House, housing the Portsoy Marble Shop, the Marble Warehouse, the Granary and the Rag Warehouse.
The trust aims to bring these buildings back into productive use to benefit the local community and conserve them for future generations.
If the charity is successful in being named a P&J charity partner for 2024, the funds will go towards hosting additional events, site visits, training courses, and volunteering opportunities for local communities in the north-east.
North East Sensory Services
North East Sensory Services (Ness) works with people who are unable to enjoy the same levels of independence that most of us take for granted and who may often feel socially isolated.
Headquartered in Aberdeen and with additional resource centres in Elgin and Dundee, Ness supports more than 6,100 people of all ages living with serious sight and/or hearing loss or impairment.
Established in 1879, Ness supports particularly the elderly, many of whom are living with age-related, dual sensory loss.
The charity’s biggest achievements are best described through the life-changing impacts of its services on the everyday lives of people with serious sight and/or hearing loss.
From a 2023 user satisfaction survey, 95% of people said they got the service when they needed it, and 98% said the staff they met were welcoming, kind, friendly and helpful.
The charity’s priority for the future is to continue to provide well-established and ongoing services, while also having plans to refurbish its Aberdeen Resource Centre, reducing its carbon footprint and making it more environmentally friendly.
If Ness was chosen to be a P&J charity partner for 2024, the funding would be used to ensure the long-term continuation of its added-value services, which rely on charitable income.
To be chosen as a charity partner would be a recognition of the achievements of service users, highlighting the countless personal journeys they have undertaken.
Quarriers – Aberdeen Carers Support Service
Quarriers provides a diverse range of services across the country, supporting more than 1,300 carers in Aberdeen every year.
The charity supports unpaid carers with services in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and beyond.
Since 1871, Quarriers has developed to meet the evolving needs of communities within Scotland.
The charity’s vision is to see people they support having greater independence and inclusion in their communities, and to be active citizens who are in charge of their own health and wellbeing.
The charity provides practical and emotional support care, delivering more than 100 services within communities across Scotland, and directly supporting 6,000 people per year to improve and transform their lives.
Quarriers hopes to continue building on the success of its Wee Blethers groups, a scheme which aims to bring carers together for company and a chat, addressing isolation and building links into the community.
It also aims to increase the number of carer support groups, parent carers support groups, activities, and short breaks for those supported by Quarriers service.
Funding from The P&J 275 Community Fund would enable Quarriers to offer unpaid carers across Aberdeen opportunities to access unique and diverse breaks from their caring role available on their doorstep.
This would include activities that are tailored to the specific needs of carers and their cared-for, easy to access locally, and provided by local partners and services, such as horse riding, footgolf, dolphin watching, theatre trips, bowling, spa days, and many more.
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Rape Crisis Grampian
Rape Crisis Grampian (RCG) is a voluntary charity which provides free and confidential emotional support to survivors across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
RCG uses a survivor centred, trauma informed and therapeutic approach to anyone aged over 11, who has experienced sexual violence at any time in their lives.
The charity also offers time limited support and information to family/friends of survivors.
RCG is focused on the elimination of sexual violence through challenging attitudes and myths, promoting equality, empowerment and education.
Led by Rape Crisis Scotland, RCG is part of national projects on sexual violence prevention and education.
As part of these projects, sexual violence prevention workers facilitate presentations to secondary schools, colleges, universities, and other youth settings on topics such as: gender, consent, what is sexual violence, sexualisation and pornography, impacts and support, online sexual violence, and how can we help prevent sexual violence.
The charity provides independent advocacy for survivors engaged or considering engaging in the criminal justice process, or who require advocacy with other agencies because of their status as survivors of sexual violence.
From its base at Langstane House, RCG has bespoke support rooms where survivors of sexual violence can benefit from a therapeutic environment, while being supported on a one-to-one basis.
If RCG was to be named as a P&J charity partner 2024, any funds received would enable the charity to reach the seldom heard groups within Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, by increasing capacity to attend events, print translated leaflets and resources, and fund translators for survivors accessing the service.
RNLI
RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea and its vision is to save every one.
The charity – which has been operating since 1824 – has 21 lifeboat stations located in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands and Islands whose volunteer crews launched 413 times last year, rescuing 406 people and saving the lives of 10 people.
As a modern emergency service and a charity which receives no UK Government funding, the RNLI relies on donations and the support of the local community.
The RNLI has more than 35,000 people who dedicate their time and skills to saving lives at sea.
Around 95% of those involved in the RNLI are volunteers, but nine out of 10 RNLI crew members have no previous maritime experience.
That means regular training is very important. Volunteer crew members train weekly to prepare for real-life emergencies.
As well as volunteering their own time to train weekly, volunteers pride themselves on being able to launch the lifeboat within 10 minutes of the pagers going off, even during the middle of the night.
Training will always remain a top priority for the crew, as this hones boat handling skills, fosters team work and enables lifeboat crews to make the right decisions at key moments in any rescue.
An essential part of RNLI training is learning what to do when things go wrong and when the unexpected happens.
To help prepare, conditions and scenarios volunteers might find at sea are simulated – darkness, thunder, lightning, helicopter recovery and capsize training.
The support of The P&J Community Fund would go towards essential training for the volunteer crews based at seven lifeboat stations in the north-east.
SensationALL
SensationALL provides a range of support services to neurodiverse individuals and those with complex conditions, helping them build valuable skills, confidence and coping mechanisms in a tailored sensory environment.
SensationALL was founded in 2012 in response to the closure of the NHS Raeden Centre, a facility which supported young people with complex needs, and has since been helping individuals by operating more than 650 support sessions per year across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The charity, founded by the parent of a support needs child and an occupational therapist, has expanded its range of groups and activities and now offers a wider range of targeted developmental support focused on building skills, resilience and self-regulatory strategies.
The charity’s name, SensationALL, mirrors the organisation’s inclusivity, making it accessible to all families and individuals of all ages and all conditions without discrimination.
Last year, the charity received highly positive feedback from clients, highlighting the importance of receiving guidance during and after the diagnosis process.
Operating from Westhill and more recently from Rosemount, Aberdeen, SensationALL receives demand from all areas of the north-east and is committed to supporting as many individuals as possible.
Additionally, the charity travels the region offering sessions in a variety of locations, including Stonehaven, Banchory, Inverurie, Ellon and Peterhead, making a difference in many people’s lives.
If SensationALL was nominated as a P&J charity partner for 2024, the funds would be used to continue to support neurodiverse people through programmes and maintain the staff of talented practitioners and youth workers fundamental in making a difference in people’s lives.
Shelter Scotland
Shelter Scotland, a charity striving to provide support for those who are struggling with housing problems, paying rent, and homelessness, advocates for the basic human right to a safe, secure and affordable home for everyone.
Putting people first, not properties, the charity offers free services ranging from housing advice, legal advice, and support in court, to all who are experiencing bad housing, difficulties paying rent, or homelessness, ensuring they are being treated fairly.
With more than 1,000 employees and more than 1,500 volunteers, Shelter Scotland continues to operate at national and local levels, challenging local authorities and advocating for change in housing policies to help decrease levels of homelessness.
With the shortage of safe temporary council housing, unsuitable housing, and the cost-of-living crisis, more people are struggling to make ends meet, often having to choose between paying rent or keeping themselves and/or their family warm.
The charity believes a home, a safe and secure space to live in, plays a fundamental role in people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
A home empowers individuals and families to work towards personal development and employment, to maintain a healthy family life, and allows children to grow in a stable environment.
Should Shelter Scotland be nominated as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, it will use the funds to continue to provide support and advocate for individuals and families affected by the cost-of-living crisis, poverty, homelessness or housing problems.
Shirley’s Space
Shirley’s Space is a free walk-in centre operating in Aberdeenshire, offering individuals suffering from mental health problems the ability to have a discreet and non-stigmatising route to potential help.
The goal of Shirley’s Space, based in Crimond, is to offer help fast.
With 65 weekly sessions, Shirley’s Space provides group support where people can share feelings and experiences, have one-to-one support, or join classes to learn new skills and socialise.
There are also ad-hoc activities such as EFT tapping and sound baths for those for whom counselling has not been successful.
The charity provides cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for deep-rooted mental illness, outsourcing specialist support, and supports female prisoners in one-to-one sessions ensuring they can begin the healing process.
Mental illness doesn’t discriminate, and neither does Shirley’s Space.
The charity was created in response to Shirley Findlay’s passing to mental health struggles. Her family wished for no-one to go through the same tragedy and created the charity hoping to help people in immediate need. It has averted 80 cases of suicide.
If Shirley’s Space is voted to become a P&J charity partner for 2024, the funds will be used to hire a fourth frontline part-time employee, costing around £7,000 per annum, who would assist around 520 sessions per year. Any surplus would be used to train volunteers and extend CBT to more individuals.
St John Scotland Aberdeen and NE
St John Scotland, formed in 1947, is a volunteer-driven organisation that has helped save lives across Scotland by providing “medical comforts” before they could be provided by the NHS.
The charity helps with the provision of public access defibrillators, and offers free CPR classes to people of all ages to encourage bystander first response.
Originally building and operating hospitals, care homes and accommodation for the elderly and vulnerable, over the years, St John Scotland’s local committees have worked with other charities and created new services such as patient transport.
St John Scotland has since grown, responding to the changing needs of communities across Scotland, including Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Across the north-east, St John Scotland provides CPR training and supports communities in the regions to install public access defibrillators.
The charity understands the importance of defibrillators in first response to a cardiac arrest, which increases an individual’s chances of survival by 50-70%, making it a necessity across communities.
If St John Scotland was voted as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would put the funds towards supplying more public access defibrillators and the required training to as many people as possible, allowing for more lives to be saved.
Vote for St John Scotland Aberdeen and NE.
Sunrise Partnership
Operating in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Sunrise Partnership is an organisation that focuses on helping children and young people suffering from a significant loss to overcome grief in a healthy way.
Sunrise Partnership’s mission is to provide young people with the necessary tools to build confidence, combat isolation and grief, and develop valuable life-long coping strategies.
Between June last year and May this year, the charity supported a total of 111 young people aged between four and 17 years old – 50 males and 61 females.
The charity’s services are free and available throughout developmental years which facilitates re-referral should an individual revisit their loss.
They include group and individual therapeutic sessions tailored to the individual, often travelling to the young person. The charity also offers training and advice to schools and organisations promoting the development of life-long coping strategies.
Additionally, recognising the importance of outdoor activities in combatting feelings of isolation and building confidence, the charity started partnering with Urban Uprising to provide young people with climbing classes and outdoor activities.
The charity was established in 2014 and registered as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation by Eileen Wheeler, who recognised the insufficient support available for children suffering a significant loss.
If Sunrise Partnership was voted as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity, which relies on grants and donations to operate, would use the funds to cover the costs of existing and new services, reducing the barriers to accessing support.
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) supports people over the age of 18 who have been impacted by suicide.
SoBS provides in-person and virtual support groups, an online community forum, support via emails and a support line open Monday to Friday.
The charity offers support to the north-east in a timely and open-ended manner, in confidence, and helps individuals build coping mechanisms in a safe and non-discriminatory environment.
Groups are run by volunteers bereaved for a minimum of two years who receive fundamental training that covers safeguarding procedures, active listening and respecting boundaries.
The charity is trying to increase in-person groups in Scotland and has begun recruiting more volunteers in Aberdeen.
The charity was founded in 1991 by Alice Middleton who, after the passing of her brother, realised the lack of support available and placed an advert in the local paper looking to meet with others who had lost a loved one to suicide.
In 2023, SoBS launched campaign Hope in Every Step to raise awareness of the support platforms available and to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide.
If SoBS was named one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would like to use the funds for the continuation of services and the extension of services to further locations to ease accessibility.
Vote for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
TechFest
TechFest is an innovative Aberdeen-based educational charity promoting science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) activities to young people and communities.
With more than 35 years of experience, and a track record of engagement with schools and families in the north-east and across Scotland, TechFest is always exploring new ways to engage, inspire and entertain young minds.
The charity works with a wide range of content providers to curate an extensive festival programme of interactive hands-on workshops and activities which engage and inspire.
TechFest’s flagship events, the School Week and Activity Week, run consecutively in late May.
The School Week offers workshops designed to be hands-on experiences that children wouldn’t always have access to in the classroom. The Activity Week targets the general public and costs £1 per adult and 1p per child, making the workshops accessible to all.
This year, the charity was able to offer 123 classes to schools from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, each receiving three classes per day.
TechFest understands the importance of having access to Stem knowledge, which underpins today’s technologies and steers future developments, as this will enable young generations to be prepared for future challenges in a society that will offer opportunities and careers yet unknown.
Should TechFest be voted one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity will use the funds to continue and expand Stem projects across the region, creating new workshops including Stem-related solutions to climate change, health care and access to education, which concern many young people.
The Archie Foundation
Operating in the north of Scotland in partnership with the NHS and professionals, The Archie Foundation aims to make a difference in healthcare and bereavement for children and their families, and supports the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH), Aberdeen Neonatal Unit and Archie’s Child Bereavement Service.
The charity covers Grampian, Tayside and the Highlands and offers a variety of services from one-to-one bereavement support to emergency grants for families to cover travel costs, essential clothing and toiletries.
It funds specialist training and equipment for NHS partner sites within RACH and the neonatal unit, including specialist equipment, and provides free on-site accommodation equipped with cooking and laundry facilities for parents while children are patients.
Recognising poverty as the greatest barrier to healthcare, the charity aims to make world-class healthcare and bereavement support accessible to all across the regions.
Established in 2000 to raise funds to build the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, and incorporating the Grampian Bereavement Network in 2019, now Archie’s Child Bereavement Service, the charity is currently fundraising for its Baird Family Hospital project.
Should The Archie Foundation be nominated as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the funds will be used for the building of the Baird Family Hospital project, expected to open in 2024 in Aberdeen, and to purchase specialist equipment which will expand the range of clinical services offered at the location.
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The Royal Air Forces Association (Peterhead)
The Royal Air Forces Association (RAF Association) has the clear objective to help sustain a resilient and empowered RAF community, including serving personnel, veterans and their families.
RAF Association works to reduce loneliness and isolation, helping generations remain active members of the community, and provides vulnerable individuals with the tools needed to maintain freedom, dignity and independence.
It offers friendship to the isolated, sheltered housing for those who want to remain proudly independent, and childcare to serving personnel on RAF stations, as well as specialist on-line training programmes such as Finding it Tough? and Navigated Dementia, plus advice and assistance regarding war pensions or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments.
The Peterhead branch was formed in April 1991 and is the main way these services are delivered to the community. The local branch offers a safe space to speak to all members of the RAF community.
In June 2023, more than 6,000 calls to members of the association were made as part of an outreach campaign for Armed Forces Day (June 24). With the annual cycling event (RAFA Rides), the charity was able to raise £110,000.
Should RAF Association (Peterhead) be named one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, it will use the funds to continue supporting the RAF community through the cost-of-living crisis by funding food provisions, financial assistance for those struggling with household bills, and by bringing companionship to those in need.
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The Seed Box
The Seed Box, based in Aberdeenshire, provides horticultural therapeutic training to people of all ages who have additional needs.
Opened in 2013, the charity has grown considerably during the past 10 years and provides around 55 horticultural day sessions to 17 individuals a week – around 2,500 sessions per year.
The charity offers a variety of work and craft activities that enable individuals to build valuable skills and confidence and progress into employment, possibly with the charity itself. Vegetables, plants and craft items are sold at local markets, online, and at the charity’s on-site shop.
Originally based at Walled Garden at Ballogie House, the charity also operates in Glen Tanar. This allows the charity to reach more people and increase its yearly income.
Run by volunteers and clients, the profits are put towards the organisation and its services, allowing the charity to grow and continue to make a difference in people’s lives.
The Seed Box’s goal is to further grow and provide safe spaces and therapeutic services in more locations, making it easier for people to access.
If The Seed Box was named as one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity would use the funding for a composting project for its prospective location in Banchory.
The project would allow the charity to save on compost expenses for its gardening area, while creating new income by selling compost at the on-site shop.
VSA
VSA is a health and social care charity that offers support, care and vital services to vulnerable people in the north-east of Scotland to enable them to live the best of lives.
VSA offers more than 20 operational services to vulnerable groups. From organising day trips for the elderly in care homes to helping parents build valuable skills to better support children with additional needs, the charity will be there to support the community.
It has multiple residential sites where it can offer long-term support to those with a mental health diagnosis and supported living for adults with learning disabilities.
It operates a residential school for children with additional needs, and offers services for the elderly where it has specialist support for individuals diagnosed with dementia and more.
Formed in 1870 to tackle poverty in areas of Aberdeen, VSA has since grown, offering various services, but the message has remained the same: “To give the people of Aberdeen the best care to live the best life”.
If VSA becomes one of The P&J’s charity partners for 2024, the charity will continue its work and meet the community’s changing needs by investing in innovative and sustainable models of care, such as technology-based care which will provide a platform for efficient and effective care practices.
We Too!
WeToo! provides vital support to parents and carers of children with hidden disabilities across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The charity, which was founded in 2015, was established after local mother, Phionna McInnes, grew frustrated over the lack of information and resources available to disabled children and their carers.
The name WeToo! was inspired by her son, who asked: “What about MeToo! mummy? Where are you going to take me that people won’t stare at me and you won’t cry?”
This spurred Phionna into action and she set out to collect information about sessions and events suitable for children with disabilities and collate it into a What’s On guide to share with the community.
WeToo! was then born and now reaches a readership of around 30,000 across the north-east.
The magazine features information regarding relaxed sessions, parent-to-parent tips, benefits advice and relevant training and courses around the community. The charity also works alongside local businesses to provide support to staff.
In the next year, WeToo! hopes to expand its patch, particularly in more rural areas, and direct any additional funding into developing its sensory space in Aberdeen Trinity Centre to provide an accessible and safe space to anyone visiting the city centre.
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