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Go purple for Erskine Week
From the First Minister to primary school children, we’re all proud to be purple in Erskine Week!
This week Scotland turned purple in support of the veterans’ charity Erskine, with collections taking place across the length and breadth of the country in a bid to beat this year’s fundraising target of £140,000.
One of our proudest supporters was First Minister Alex Salmond, who wore a purple tie and Erskine star badge at First Minister's Questions in Parliament on Thursday. Mr Salmond has a long association with the Erskine charity and offered the following words of support:
"Erskine is a fantastic charity, taking care of our ex-service men and women to the very highest of standards and with enormous dedication. It provides care to over 1100 people in five specialist care homes in Bishopton, Glasgow, Erskine and Edinburgh and is valued very highly by veterans and their families.
"All round the country, many people are giving very generously of their time and money during this dedicated week of fundraising - with others doing something as simple as wearing purple to raise awareness of such a great cause.
"Proud to be Purple is a fantastic idea and I was extremely proud to be wearing my purple tie and Star of Honour badge in Parliament today to highlight the wonderful work Erskine does."
Other celebrity supporters included chef Nick Nairn, who hosted a fundraising BBQ at Erskine’s garden centre in Bishopton. Over 120 people gathered on a gloriously sunny evening to sample a glass – or two – of bubbly and enjoy the roasted delights on offer from Nick Nairn’s vanishing Willows Cafe, set amid the fantastic plant displays at the Charity’s garden centre.
And it wasn’t just the celebrities who were painting it purple, as Sara Bannerman, Head of Fundraising, explained: “We have been overwhelmed with support from our local communities and we are delighted with the range of fun activities that our supporters are undertaking. So from everyone here at Erskine, and from the many veterans in our care, a very big, purple thank-you to our zip-sliders, bakers, dancers, gymnasts, tea party hosts, bag packers, quiz masters, purple fashionistas, rock climbers, walkers and runners! There are simply too many to mention but we expect to showcase a good sample of their work on our website.”
