Every Little Helps Boost Older Peoples Lives

Bield Housing And Care Press releases

One of Bield's fundraising volunteersTireless efforts by fundraisers have helped to generate record amounts of money to benefit residents and tenants of Bield, one of Scotland’s leading providers of housing and care.

Bield takes great pride in the ‘little extras’ it provides to its homes and services around the country through its dedicated campaign of fundraising initiatives.

And such has been the success of the Bield fundraising operation in 2013, which has ranged from sponsored walks and triathlons to sportsman’s dinners and charity golf events, that they have doubled the £50,000 raised in 2012.

 Kevin Rowe, Chief Fundraiser at Bield, said: “People sometimes wonder why we fundraise at Bield but the answer is simple. Not only do we want to provide top quality housing and services, but we also want to go that extra mile for our customers to make their lives that little bit brighter.

“With the economic downturn, everyone has been feeling the pinch over the past few years and this has had a particularly detrimental impact on the older generation who can struggle to make their pensions stretch to cover personal interests or activities.

“Our work is therefore vital to ensure our older people continue to enjoy a high quality of life by providing them with opportunities to take part in a number of pastimes to enrich their time with Bield.

“Our fundraisers were superb last year, working tirelessly to offer their time and energy in all sorts of different ways and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

“We are delighted to have doubled the amount of money we raised last year which is a tremendous achievement.

“But while this is great news and will ensure many people benefit, the challenge goes on and we will have to continue to look creatively next year to both maintain and grow our fundraising operation.”

Bield’s fundraising efforts crucially support its ‘Free to Be’ philosophy which lets people make their own choices about how they live their lives while being there to support them when they need it.

Armed with the money raised and a passionate team of individuals who volunteer their services to run a variety of activities, Bield, can offer something for every one of their tenants.

From exercise classes, craft and games sessions, outings or even ‘silver surfing’ – whenever customers have an idea about a project, there is usually a volunteer to help and funds that can be applied for.

Helping people with dementia has also been one of main targets for the Bield fundraising team, with  funds creating such projects as a one to one befriending service and the highly successful Mary’s Kitchen at Whitehill Court in Kirkintilloch, where a series of ‘Come Dine with Me’ themed evenings help people with dementia and their carers enjoy the experience of eating out together within the comfort of their own dining room.

As a charity, Bield also relies on legacies to enhance and add value to the services it provides. This summer tenants at the Fountain Quay complex at Kirn, Argyll, enjoyed new additions to their garden and communal areas thanks to a donation from a former tenant.

While large sums collected by major fundraising events are very welcome, benefits can be arranged at small sums of money – it costs £20 for an older person to go on a day trip, £50 to cover the cost of a weekly activity session for 10 people and £400 to recruit, train and support a volunteer befriender.

Those, inspired to help shed some light on what can be a dark and isolated period of time in an older person’s life can arrange their own fundraising event to celebrate Bield’s ‘Free To Be Day’ which will take place on its birthday, March 17 2014.

For more information on fundraising for a local service or for more details of its national projects, contact Bield’s Chief Fundraiser, call Kevin Rowe on 0131 273 4005 or e-mail k.rowe@bield.co.uk.