£37,500 raised at The Weir Family Foundation Ball to support Scotland’s vulnerable children
Children and young people were the winners on Saturday evening (5th October 2019) thanks to a prestigious black-tie charity ball.
The Weir Family Foundation held their annual event to support and raise vital funds for Aberlour Scotland’s Children’s Charity. The glamorous black-tie ball, held in Glasgow’s Radisson Blu hotel, was an outstanding success with 250 attendees raising £37,500 for the charity.
The money raised will enable the Aberlour Family Support Service in Glasgow and the Aberlour Options service across Scotland to reach more families before they reach crisis point, before it’s too late.
During the event attendees were able to hear all about the fantastic work Aberlour does throughout Scotland and hear directly from Johnny Hendry an Aberlour Youth Worker who supports young people and their families living in one of Glasgow’s most deprived areas.
Johnny Hendry, Aberlour Family Support Service – Glasgow Youth Worker said: “The young people we work with face huge challenges in their lives – parental drug and alcohol addiction, violence on the streets where they live, poverty and deprivation. All these youngsters have great potential and at Aberlour we work hard to help them see it too. Funding for our support service is often difficult to sustain and I am delighted that The Weir Family Foundation have recognised the value of the work we do here in Glasgow.”
Young people supported by Aberlour also treated the event attendees to a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’-style extravaganza. Morgan Ross, Mohamed Mohammed, Megan Maclean and Omar Ibrahim have been training hard for months with Graham Fox, UK West Coast Swing Champion, to prepare for the event.
Mohamed Mohammed and Omar Ibrahim, Aberlour young people and dancers said of the evening: “It was the most amazing experience of our lives.”
Prizes for the raffle and main and silent auction were generously donated from a number of supporters and organisations. These generated lots of interest as they included concert tickets to the sold-out Lewis Capaldi concert in Glasgow with overnight accommodation at the Kimpton Blythswood Square hotel and also the unique chance to attend the Grand Prix Historic de Monaco.
SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive of Aberlour, said: “I am thrilled that The Weir Family Foundation chose Aberlour as their charity beneficiary this year. We have been working closely with the Weir family for a number of months to arrange this fantastic event and ensure our young people could be involved. This outstanding sum of money raised by The Weir Family Foundation will be used to support our Aberlour Family Support Service in Glasgow as well as our Aberlour Options service across Scotland who support families who have a child with autism.”
John and Barbara Weir, founders of The Weir Family Foundation, said: “We are delighted that our black-tie ball was such a roaring success, raising a fantastic £37,500 for Aberlour Scotland’s Children’s Charity. Every year we look to support a worthwhile Scottish charity through our fundraising events and Aberlour was chosen due to the outstanding support they provide children and their families across Scotland.”
Aberlour is Scotland’s largest children’s charity and supports over 7,500 vulnerable children and their families across the country. Aberlour provides a range of services, including residential and fostering, recovery, early years, disability and early intervention, to help the young people and families they support to thrive.
There are many ways in which you can support Aberlour including fundraising, volunteering or donating. For more information on how you can support Aberlour visit www.aberlour.org.uk or call 0800 085 6150.