A Christmas present with a Beau on it - thanks to generosity at Dumfries Kinder Shop
Three-year-old Beau got a brand new tricycle as an early Christmas present thanks to The Kinder Shop at Christmas, which appeared in Dumfries for one day where gifts could be ‘bought’ with kindness.
The Kinder Shop allowed shoppers to take home gifts and luxury items for free if they pledged to give their time to one of three local charities.
The tricycle was gifted to Beau by Liz Grieve who offered to do extra volunteering at the Summerhill Community Centre so that the toddler could have the bike. She made the generous offer after meeting Beau’s grandmother, Nicola Gemmell, in the Loreburne Shopping Centre where the Kinder Shop was taking place.
“I run the bread club at Summerhill and when Nicola said she would not be able to commit to volunteering at the moment because of her health I thought I would step in and help,” she said, adding: “The bread club is helping people from lots of different age groups discover how to bake their bread so I will be happy to do more hours there.”
Nicola said: “It was very kind of Liz to help in this way. When I am feeling up to it I will give my time to help too. I think the Kinder Shop is a wonderful idea that is bringing people together in Dumfries.”
Another visitor to the Kinder Shop was 12-year-old Kian Johnston who volunteered at a foodbank with his friends from North West Community Campus school to ‘pay’ for the perfect present for his mum.
“I got her this giant cushion because her recliner is broken and my dad always gets the corner of the sofa so this will give her something to support her,” he said.
The boys had been helping to stock up the shelves at the foodbank run by the Queen of the South Community Trust. Dan Armstrong, Queen of the South’s community and development manager, was impressed with the schoolboys’ eagerness to help out at the foodbank.
“The boys have been brilliant. They came down to help us get all the shelves stocked up with donations. We do a lot of work with their school and children in Dumfries through a programme that helps build their confidence and get involved in their community so the Kinder Shop has been a nice way to show them that looking out for others is valued,” he said.
Over 400 hours were pledged to local charities as part of the Kinder Shop initiative which is the idea of The Cumberland Building Society.
Ryan McCubbin, Dumfries manager at The Cumberland, said: “We had an amazing response to the Kinder Shop in Dumfries. They say it’s better to give than to receive, but thanks to The Kinder Shop, people could do both this Christmas.”
People visiting the Kinder Shop had the chance to support a variety of local children’s charities.
Queen of the South Football Club will be working with volunteers to pack and deliver food parcels for families with children who might be in need over the Christmas period.
Volunteers also signed up to help Dumfriesshire Scouts with a variety of community projects including helping at Beaver and Cub groups. Finally, Food Train gained volunteers to do shopping for families in need during mornings and evenings, including distributing food parcels.
Ian Mitchell, of Dumfriesshire Scouts, said: “I think the Kinder Shop is an excellent idea because it encourages people to volunteer for a few hours and if they like it then they might commit to doing more.”