2023
A big thank you to everyone who came to the Gillespie Centre on Sunday 19th November to make our handbag gifts. We managed to make a whopping 240 gifts, 160 of which will be delivered to Clydesdale foodbank. The other 80 will be going to Hamilton foodbank, as the first part of their order.
Additional dates to be added to finish off and to prepare mens gifts. |
2022
We held a hugely successful gift-bag packing session
in The Gillespie Centre on 6th November 2022. Thank you to all those who turned up and worked their socks off. We made up an incredible 263 gifts in the space of two and a half hours. Gifts have been delivered to Clydesdale Foodbank, Hamilton District Foodbank, Larkhall Fodbank and Peebles Foodbank. Another mass gift-making exercise is planned for 4th December in The Gillespie Centre. This will be a last push to get as many gifts made as possible. 90 men's gifts have also been made using the fabulous donations we have received!! |
2021
In 2021 we broke all records!! In total, we produced 659 womens' bags and 377 mens' bags
giving us a total of 1036 gifts made and delivered.
In addition, WomanKIND Clydesdale once again provided a kindness bag to every person who received a Christmas lunch, organised by Biggar Community Action Group, at The Bield, at The Gillespie Centre or delivered to their home. This means that our total was probably over 1084!! This is astonishing and a massive big thank you to all those who donated goods and helped to fill the bags and deliver them to those whose lives will be made just a bit brighter by this act of kindness.
giving us a total of 1036 gifts made and delivered.
In addition, WomanKIND Clydesdale once again provided a kindness bag to every person who received a Christmas lunch, organised by Biggar Community Action Group, at The Bield, at The Gillespie Centre or delivered to their home. This means that our total was probably over 1084!! This is astonishing and a massive big thank you to all those who donated goods and helped to fill the bags and deliver them to those whose lives will be made just a bit brighter by this act of kindness.
Handbags for Christmas
The ethos of WomanKIND Clydedale is to spread a little kindness where it is required and to involve the Community at large wherever possible. This project ticks all the boxes. The project was so successful after its initial launch in 2015 that we repeat it every year, and it just gets bigger and bigger. We crowd-source hundreds of new toiletries, accessories and beauty supplies as well as good condition and new quality handbags and men's toilet bags from the Clydesdale community. We then stuff the bags with several donated products and wrapped them up beautifully in cellophane and ribbon. The first year we made around 140 ladies' Christmas gifts which were distributed through our partner network of foodbanks and vulnerable group organisations. In 2017 we decided to provide both mens' and womens' bags. We provided a total 550 bags in 2017 and an astonishing 784 in 2018. Since then the project has grown and grown! Our main objective remains to provide a gift for those experiencing hardship during the festive season. This includes refugees and Asylum seekers who arrive in Scotland. WomanKIND Clydesdale will be collecting more toiletries and bags again, starting from September each year and we hope that with our increased support and new links with nation-wide organisations, we will be able to help these community-sourced Christmas gifts reach even more women than previous years. If you would like to donate handbags or toiletries, take them to the Gillespie Centre in Biggar or, if you are outside Biggar and have collected a few, contact us here and we will collect. If you would like to help us make the gifts please also contact us - we need all the help we can get. Thank you. |