School Link students from Forth Valley College presented money raised at an Easter event to The Gate in Alloa recently (4 May).
The group who are based in the Department of Access and Progression organised a take away café on Thursday 30 March in the Alloa Campus to raise funds for The Gate and served up tea, coffee and a selection of Easter goodies. The group were supported by Helen Christie (FVC Lecturer) and Eveyln Smith (FVC Additional Support Worker) who planned the activities and trialed the recipes, prior to the event.
School link students – who included Rhannon Cove (17) and Liam Rowley both from Stirling High School (and pictured in the photograph) and Lewis Boyle (16) from Lornshill Academy were at the Gate to present the cash raised.
They are keen to thank Marie Brownhill, Anne McLennan, Howard Townshend, Val Rose and Margaret Van De Merwe from the Gate charity, who brought along a wide variety of information, detailing the various activities which the Gate coordinates – these include a community café, a crisis foodbank, producing starter packs for homeless people moving into their first tennancies, a school uniform bank and much more besides.
The Gate Manager Marie Brownhill, said:
“We were delighted to receive the very kind donation from the College and we were all very pleased with the students hard work. We are currently making plans to develop our Centre so every penny counts! As a voluntary led organisation we heavily rely upon continuous funding and local support to operate our projects.”
David Gentles, Learning Resource Assistant, who also helped in the fundraising event, said:
“The café was a great success and was supported by students and staff across the Alloa campus who enjoyed a wide selection of goodies, including: scones, chocolate cake, lemon drizzle cake, shortbread and fresh hotcross buns. The selection of goodies were all freshly made by the students, who worked hard throughout the event to make it a success.”
“We were over the moon to present £77.21 to the Gate charity on Thursday 4 May. The event was a huge success and the students who were involved would particuarly like to thank all the students and staff who visitied the café and supported them in their fundraising activities.”
Access and Progression Lecturer Helen Christie, said:
“After visiting The Gate - a fantastic organisation which carries out practical help to promote positive change for people living in the local community, David Gentles and I decided to plan a fundraiser by holding an Easter bake sale at the Alloa campus. The School Link student group enjoyed the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills and were delighted to visit Marie who manages The Gate and find out how it works and benefits local people. The funds presented will go directly to help people and families living in Clackmannanshire.”
If you would like any futher information on what the Gate offers within the community, please check out their website - www.the-gate-charity.org/