Urgent Warm Jacket and Gift Appeal For Children This Christmas
From now until December 8th we are a donation drop off point for Glasgow’s No1 Baby and Family Support Service Christmas Appeal.
The Appeal called Give a Gift, is asking for urgent donations of a warm jacket, toy or a stocking filler for children and young adults up to the age of 17. The charity is also asking for volunteers who can give time to deliver its service to families living in hardship.
Glasgow’s No1 Baby and Family Support Service was founded in 2017 by Audrey Dempsey to help families with babies in the North of Glasgow and operates from a dedicated unit on Forge Street. It supports families in working poverty and in December they put together packs for children who would wake up to nothing on Christmas Day. Every young person referred to the service will receive a pack of 5 presents and a warm jacket.
The Appeal is asking for a gift donation that:
• can be played with alone
• can be played with the family
• is educational
• a young person aged 12-17 has a need for
Audrey Dempsey, Founder and Service Manager of Glasgow’s No1 Baby and Family Support Service, said:“Our referrals have doubled this year with so many people now living in working poverty and the situation is getting worse. This Christmas we need 10,000 gifts for children and young people. We are in desperate need of warm jackets either brand new or in very good condition. We need gifts for children aged 6-12 and for teenagers up to age 17. Young people aged 14 to 17 are often a forgotten group. It would be wonderful to have some appropriate gifts donated for them. We rely on donations and volunteers and it’s amazing to have Skypark on board who are supporting the Appeal”.
Skypark’s Strategic Lettings Advisor, Angela Higgins of Resonance Capital said: “Thank you to anyone that can donate a warm jacket or a gift to the Appeal. Audrey and her team are dealing with a crisis situation with so many families living in hardship. All donations can be dropped off at Skypark reception until 8th December.”
Volunteers that can give their time to the charity can email audrey.gnonebfss@gmail.com.
For more on the appeal visit https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFfbh81s/
Women @ COP26 Photography Exhibition Opens
A year on from the city hosting COP26, we host a newly curated exhibition on Women@COP26, a series of portraits by sought after photographer Kris Kesiak on a female vision of the climate emergency.
This legacy project for women and girls, spearheaded by Glasgow’s Education Services in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and Women of the World Foundation, was created in 2021 where 2,500 young women from Glasgow’s Secondary Schools came together at “#GirlsAtCOP26 – The Solutions are Feminist” at the Glasgow Caledonian University. A panel of experts including former Irish President Dr Mary Robinson, joined the girls to discuss the global issues around UN Sustainable Goal 5, alongside health, environment and gender as well as other challenges that can affect women and girls’ bodies.
The exhibition, curated by Claire Stewart, photography lecturer at City of Glasgow College, features women from across the globe who joined the school girls, in discussing taking collective action to address the climate emergency from a female perspective.
Andrea Reid, Glasgow City Council, Education Services said: “Glasgow has led the way with Learning for Sustainability (LfS), employing since 2018 a dedicated officer to support LfS learning and teaching. Our schools’ #OurDearGreenPlace work on #GirlsAtCOP26 focused on the action being taken by women and girls globally, which can too often be overlooked. The ongoing legacy from this work continues.”
Glasgow-based photographer Kris Kesiak who documented the events said: “Photographing strong women is something I have been drawn to since I first started taking photographs as a child. In those early years, my sister and grandmother – both formidable women – were often the subjects of my pictures. In my career, I have been lucky enough to work with a wide range of female artists, musicians, writers and models.
“Getting the opportunity to meet, listen to, and photograph such a diverse range of women was a privilege. All were truly inspiring and formidable. I am thrilled to exhibit at Skypark and extend the exhibition to a new audience in documenting the role women are playing in Glasgow and beyond”.
Skypark’s strategic lettings advisor Angela Higgins of Resonance Capital said: “It’s an honour to have Women@COP26 Exhibition adorn the walls of our donated gallery. One of the most sought after photographers in Scotland, Kris Kesiak’s portraits perfectly frame the voices of women to inspire the next generation of girls.”
Women@COP26 exhibition is FREE and open to the public Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.