Elgin City deliver 100 Christmas hampers to care homes as part of SPFL's Festive Friends initiative
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ELGIN City today delivered 100 Christmas hampers to four care homes in the town.
The hampers, filled with food and Elgin City goodies, were delivered to Spynie, The Grove, Anderson's and Abbeyvale care homes as part of the SPFL Trust's Festive Friends initiative.
This is the second Christmas initiative City have taken part in this year, having delivered 130 three-course Christmas meals to sheltered accommodation last week.
Festive Friends, now in its fifth year, is run by the SPFL Trust and normally sees participants enjoy a Christmas lunch, fun and games at SPFL grounds.
With that not possible due to the coronavirus pandemic, the SPFL Trust teamed up with 37 of its clubs to launch a new ‘at home’ version of Festive Friends.
Elgin City community football manager Craigh Stewart said: “We were delighted to once again be involved with the Festive Friends project.
"It has been a difficult year for everyone, so we jumped at the chance to show our support to the local community.
"The majority of residents at these care homes will have been separated from visitors for so long so we hope the parcels can put a smile on their face this Christmas.
"In these unprecedented times, anything the club can do to help we will.”
Funding from James Anderson and a second anonymous donor mean that £87,700 has been committed to this year’s campaign.
More than 2400 people were expecting to receive a socially-distanced doorstep visit and a Christmas hamper, delivered by a friendly face from their local SPFL club.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) also assisted with deliveries throughout the festive period. In each SFRS delivered hamper, there is a fire safety advice leaflet for the elderly and vulnerable.
Assistant chief officer Stuart Stevens is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s director of service delivery. He said: “This winter will be incredibly difficult for many people across Scotland who are isolated from friends and family.
“Not only is it more important than ever that we show compassion and kindness and reach out to those people who are isolated during the festive season, as a service we also know that the risk of fire in homes can greatly increase at this time of year - particularly for those living alone.
“That’s why every hamper delivered by SFRS will include essential fire safety advice and guidance, and our staff are more than happy to speak to people for more advice or just for a socially distanced doorstep chat.
“We are delighted to support this very worthwhile cause and would encourage everyone to safely contact friends, families and neighbours, in line with your local Covid-19 guidance, and make sure that no-one is alone this Christmas.”
