Aberdeen Asset Management donate £9k to HopScotch

THe £9,000 donation will allow disadvantaged children have a happy holiday in the Highlands

Aberdeen Asset Management Charitable Foundation donated £9,000 to Edinburgh children’s charity HopScotch which will allow 36 young ones to enjoy time at its holiday centre in Ardvullin in the Highlands.

A dozen children from three organisations – Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Aberdeen’s Middlefield Community Project and Waverley Care in Edinburgh – were chosen for the breaks, with some going on holiday for the very first time.

HopScotch helps children who experience a range of problems in their young lives, including drug taking of parents, to sexual abuse and extreme poverty.

The trips allow the children to spent time in safe and secure surroundings, while escaping the stresses of home life and gaining and building confidence in a caring and supportive environment.

While at Ardvullin, children enjoyed lots of adventures from horse riding to boat trips, with many loving just a day on the beach.

HopScotch’s 2015 programme has provided around 350 children with a respite break at Ardvullin this year, working with organisations from the Highlands, Ayrshire, Strathclyde, Perthshire, Tayside, Lanarkshire, Midlothian and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire to identify those children most in need.

HopScotch manager, Roberta Mckay, said: “Good childhood memories last a lifetime. We are so grateful for the support of Aberdeen Asset Management during 2015 which helps our work to continue in providing free respite break for Scotland’s most vulnerable children.”

Karin Hyland of Aberdeen Asset Management’s Charitable Foundation said: “HopScotch holidays provide something which every child should be entitled to – the chance to enjoy a carefree break in a safe and caring environment where they can make new friends, have fun and experience the beauty of the countryside.”