ABERDEEN FOOTBALL CLUB COMMUNITY TRUST HELPS MAKE CHRISTMAS “MISSION POSSIBLE”

ABERDEEN FOOTBALL CLUB COMMUNITY TRUST HELPS MAKE CHRISTMAS “MISSION POSSIBLE”

Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust (AFCCT) is teaming up with Northsound’s Cash for Kids to help ensure that children across the North‐east will wake up to a present from Santa this year.

The charity’s Mission Christmas appeal collects donations of toys or funds to make Christmas Day special for children living in poverty.

The Trust will support the initiative which provides presents to hundreds of children across the region who otherwise might wake up to nothing on Christmas morning.

A squad of AFCCT and AFC volunteers will work every day from now until December 22 at the Mission Christmas headquarters dealing with collections from the 62 drop‐off points across the region, packing presents and loading vehicles to ensure gifts are delivered in time for Christmas.

Many of the children who will benefit are among the 4,000 vulnerable children and their families supported by the Trust as part of its #StillStandingFree campaign earlier this year. During the campaign, the Trust delivered food packages to 1,500 households.

“After what has been an anxious and uncertain year, AFCCT wants to make sure that Christmas is still special, especially for children living in difficult or disadvantaged circumstances,” said Liz Bowie, chief executive of AFCCT.

“In a year that has pushed many more families into poverty, we’re pleased to be able to support the work that Cash for Kids does to bring a smile to children’s faces. The #StillStandingFree campaign showed us how generous our fans, staff and players are with their time when it comes to helping others, and we’re demonstrating that once again.

“We also know how generous they are when it comes to donating and we are confident they will dig deep again in support of the Trust’s work. The thought of a child waking up on Christmas morning without a gift is heart‐breaking and our mission is to make sure as many children, in difficult or disadvantaged circumstances, as possible experience the wonder of Christmas, especially this year.”

Michelle Ferguson, Charity Manager at Cash for Kids, said: “We are so delighted to be working in partnership with AFC and AFCCT during our Mission Christmas campaign. Last year we ensured that over 9,000 children had presents on Christmas day and this year we expect that number to increase.

“We are a tiny team of two and rely entirely on volunteers to deliver this campaign and the help from AFCCT will make all the difference this year. We are running the campaign with fewer drop off points and volunteers this year due to COVID restrictions and to have the extra help from the Trust will be amazing and ensure we deliver the campaign smoothly.

“We are really excited to be working with the Trust and know that this will be a huge success and ensure that every child on our list gets a better Christmas this year.”