1 week Ago
Bankie comic Kevin Bridges has made huge donations to helping ensure a great Christmas for families in his home town. West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare were told a few days ago that they would be receiving a massive £30,000 donation. And youth charity Y Sort It are being gifted £10,000 for their work.
Bosses at both charities, which work across West Dunbartonshire, were blown away by the gesture from Kevin and his wife Kerry. And they said it would help across all their projects - and make "special Christmas memories" for many families. Foodshare manager Clair Coyle said: "Over the last few month, we have seen an increase in local families needing support with emergency food parcels, and provisions from our Babybank, School Uniform Bank and Emergency Fuelbank.
"Whilst seeing this increasing need in the community, we have also seen donation levels drop significantly. "We know this is just a sign of the times - more people are struggling financially because of the increased cost of food and household bills. "Due to all of this, we were worrying about Christmas.
Would we have enough food stock to provide for everyone in need, and would we receive enough toy donations to provide for all families who would otherwise go without on Christmas morning?" She continued: "We have had a great response to our Christmas Appeal, and donations are arriving daily - but we are also receiving referrals at a fast rate. "However, a few days ago, we were absolutely blown away to receive a call telling us we would be receiving a massive £30,000 donation from Kevin Bridges. "Kevin and Kerry have requested that the funding be used for children and young people, and adults with disabilities.
"This donation will make an exceptional difference to families we support, with extra money now available across various projects, such as Food Provision, Christmas Toybank, School Uniform Bank, Babybank and School Holiday Brunch Bags. "This donation will help to create special Christmas memories for struggling families in West Dunbartonshire this year. "We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to Kevin.
We are delighted that Kevin and Kerry were impressed with the work we do, and choose to support our charity and people who need to use our service in his local community." Gillian Kirkwood, CEO of Y Sort It, said she was blown away by Kevin's generosity. She said the money will help fund Christmas family parties and other festive activities, including Christmas dinner for all their teenagers.
It will also support young people through winter months when it can be really tough, including young carers and care experienced young people. Gillian said: "It's amazing. Totally buzzing.
Our young people are going to have the best Christmas ever. "On behalf of them and all the staff at Y Sort It, we cannot express our gratitude enough to Kevin for this amazing gift.".
