Fundraisers are a fitting tribute to Emmie Smillie

THERE’S scarcely an area of our society that hasn’t been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

But while lots of attention was, understandably, on the businesses whose operations were limited by lockdown restrictions, many Scottish charities also found their usual revenue streams cut off. 

For the Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation –established to help people in Scotland living with cancer – lockdown saw the cancellation of one of their biggest fundraising events of the year. 

Their popular Ladies Lunch couldn’t go ahead and, with financial uncertainty plaguing people across the country, there was concern about how much money they would be able to bring in.

Yet according to Sarah-Jane Smillie, trustee of the Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation, it has been “amazing” how generous the public have been throughout the pandemic.

“It would shock you how much people are giving, even in these circumstances,” she explains. 

“I would even say we’ve actually been getting more money in since Covid began. It is so wonderful that people think of us during hard times, especially when they don’t always know what is around the corner for them financially.”

The Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation presents a cheque for £50,000 to Kilbryde Hospice

One of the charity’s biggest gifts came from JR Scaffold Services, who last weekend held their 25th anniversary Christmas Ball in aid of the Emmie Smillie Foundation. 

The Smillie family have a close relationship with the firm’s founder John Horne, who wanted to turn the celebratory ball into a way to do good for those in need.

The estimated £100,000 that the event raised for the Emmie Smillie Foundation will now be redistributed by the charity’s trustees to a range of hospices, hospitals and worthy causes across Scotland. And according to Sarah-Jane, it is that legacy of giving back that makes her most proud of the charity. 

It was established in honour of Emmie Smillie, Sarah-Jane’s sister, who tragically lost her life to cancer in 2015. She was just 34 years old.

Emmie’s sisters Sarah Jane and Elisa with a cheque for £300k which they presented to six hospices

“We decided to set up a charity in her name to help people in Scotland by donating to various cancer charities,” Sarah-Jane explains. 

“We aim to assist as many people as we possibly can and this year we have given thousands of pounds to Marie Curie, to Kilbryde Hospice, to cancer charities, even to nurses working on the front line.

“We raise the money and then donate that into charities, or use it to buy equipment, toys, whatever they need. 

“We meet the fundraising teams for various different charities and speak to them about what they are needing and what they would do with the money. 

“The fundraising manager for Yorkhill Hospital approached us this year to say that one of the wards needed loads of new equipment, so we gave them £55,000 after calculating all the things that they needed.”

Sarah-Jane is also proud that the foundation operates as a not-for-profit, with the money that comes in being distributed straight back out to those in need. “Whatever anyone donates, whether it is 1p or £100, it all gets put to good use. Any prizes that we use for a raffle or an auction are donated rather than bought, so we aren’t spending money on prizes.

This ensures the maximum amount of money can go to the good causes.”
Fortunately, the foundation plans to hold its usual fundraising events in 2022, with the Ladies Lunch scheduled for the September weekend. 

Yet Sarah-Jane stresses that it is the small donations from ordinary people that help the charity achieve its aims, with the option to donate a small sum via the Emmie Smillie Foundation website. 

“I am really grateful for all the support we’ve had,” she says, “and so proud of the legacy we are creating for Emmie.”

www.emmiesmilliecharityfoundation.org