An Aberdeenshire boy has helped to raise £500 for Abernecessities through a chocolate jar guessing game.
Having watched the charity’s Christmas campaign advert with his mum, eight-year-old Colt Strachan asked if she “could buy all the clothes that the children needed.”
The Rothienorman youngster was keen to help after learning how some children and families worry about clean and warm clothes over the festive period.
After considering a few ideas, he eventually decided to hold a competition asking people to guess the number of chocolates in a jar.
More than 245 people entered the guessing game and after hearing about its success, family friend Emily Anderson-Green donated an extra £250.
‘Pleased for the winner’
The family thought that after receiving so many entries the family thought they may have to pick a name out of a hat.
That was until Lyeeta Wright managed to guess the amount exactly – after entering the ballot 20 times, she eventually landed on the number 600.
Proud mum Leanne Strachan said: “I’m so pleased for the winner, I thought she deserved to win after entering so many times.
“It has been so nice people getting involved and it has been really good for Colt.
“When we finished collecting the money we spoke to the charity about what we should do next and we started purchasing items from their Amazon wishlist with the money.”
Item purchased from the list will then be sent to children who need them most over the festive period.
The funds raised covered 36 items from the list which ranged from coats to detergent.
She added: “Colt was surprised by some of the items on the list and was glad to have had a part in helping.”
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire facing a ‘devastating’ crisis
With a 200% increase in requests for clothes in just one week, charity founder Danielle Flecher-Horn described the situation as a “devastating crisis” for the city.
She is now calling for people to “spare a thought for the less fortunate” and donate pre-loved items to help dozens of children in need.
She said: “We are currently dealing with a huge crisis in the city; it’s very real and simply devastating.
“It’s just heartbreaking to think that children can’t enjoy little things like walking to school, playing outside with their friends, and for some – even going to bed, all because they don’t have the necessities that no child should go without.”
