Falkirk group supporting struggling families achieves charitable status

From Me to You is run by twins Emma and Gemma McGregor and Sylvia Kay Scott with the help of 15 dedicated administrators.

As well as becoming a charity, the team recently managed to secure official premises in Callendar Square to help them develop their vital work.

The group operates mainly through its Facebook page which currently has almost 10,000 members and reaches out to people who are struggling due to poverty or hardship by providing them with items they could not otherwise afford.

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Emma (29) said: “Looking back over the past year it’s pretty incredible to think how far we’ve come and how much we’ve actually achieved.

“We always knew we wanted to get charitable status but knew it would be a complicated process with a lot of admin involved so when we had our first meeting we wrote down our goals on a sheet of paper and gave ourselves a timescale of seven years.

“To have actually achieved charitable status within our first year is amazing and we feel so proud that it has come about as a result of a lot of hard work, determination and a real sense of community spirit.

“We’re so grateful to all our partner organisations that we’re linking in with such as

Kersiebank Community Project, CVS Falkirk and Sustainable Thinking Scotland.

“There are many, many others too – too many to mention. Their support has just been phenomenal. Without them and the support from the general public and our Facebook followers none of this would be possible.

“Thanks also to John Jamieson at Callendar Square for offering us the premises for our new shop and also to local councillors Cecil Meikeljohn, David Alexander and David Balfour who have all been very supportive.

The From Me to You team are now looking into ways to develop their services further and are planning a range of fundraising activities as well as looking into the possiblity of expanding to other areas.

Emma said: “There are so many people out there who are really struggling and can’t afford even the basics.

“We strongly believe that no one should struggle and as a community we can lessen that strain by working together and helping each other and we aim to continue doing that as best we can.”