Kilmarnock pals help fundraising cause

Nov 28 2008 by Clair Fullarton, Kilmarnock Standard

A GROUP of Kilmarnock woman who have been chums for 13 years have decided to give their friendship a fundraising focus.

Aileen Hollywood, depute head at Kilmarnock Academy, and her friends from her days teaching at James Hamilton Academy, have become ‘Maggie’s Marigolds’ to raise cash for cancer charity Maggie’s.

Aileen became inspired to help the charity after reading an article about it in the national press.

And after a visit with the charity’s fundraising officer, Kirsty Hodge, who told her the profile of Maggie’s had to be raised in the Ayrshire area, Aileen was moved into action.

Aileen explained: “I was advised to set up a local fundraising group and as the Marigolds as we call ourselves was already established, we decided to go for it.

“The first thing we did was organise an afternoon tea for my 50th birthday just recently, and all the Marigolds did the baking and serving.

“Over 50 people turned up and through their donations we managed to raise nearly £1400.

“So we’ve got off to a great start.”

In Kilmarnock Academy, Aileen’s colleague Noreen Lyon donated half the proceedings of her cancer charity fundraising day in the school to Maggie’s as well, and that came to £500.

The next venture of the Marigolds is ‘A knife, a fork, a bottle and a cork’ dinner party fundraiser, which Aileen herself will be hosting.

The idea behind the scheme is to invite seven people to dinner, who will each donate £10 to the charity.

Those seven will go away and then hold their own dinner party for six others and so on.

The Marigolds will also be helping the Maggie’s Wrappers to wrap Christmas presents in Waterstones at East Kilbride just before Christmas.

Aileen said: “I wouldn’t say that becoming fundraisers has brought us closer together as we’ve always been close, but it has added another dimension to our friendship.

“Instead of focusing on where we’re going on holiday this year, we’ve also got our fundraising to talk about and plan.”

Aileen is also really keen to highlight the charity and let people from the Kilmarnock area know what it does.

Aileen said: “I am surprised that so few people have heard of the charity and what it offers. It basically gives people with cancer and their families a place to go and relax. It’s a lovely, peaceful centre and people are welcome just to go in and have a cuppa and a chat.

“There’s a huge library of books and literature, and various activities, like yoga and Tai Chi. There’s also a psychologist and someone who can give benefits advice.”

Maggie’s has caring centres throughout Scotland and Kilmarnock people can use the Glasgow centre at The Gatehouse, Western Infirmary, 10 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow.

One of the main fundraising focuses at the moment for the charity is raising the cash needed for a new purpose-built centre at Gartnavel Hospital, where the Beatson Centre recently moved.

For more information on Maggie’s, call 0141 330 3311 or log onto www.maggiescentres.org