North Lanarkshire customers of Semichem – a health and beauty retail chain owned by Scotmid Co-operative – are being encouraged to donate products purchased in-store to the Give a Festive Gift appeal, to help local families struggling to afford Christmas presents for children.
The stores in Wishaw, Motherwell, Carluke, Airdrie, Coatbridge and Hamilton have set up donation points where customers can give presents such as make-up sets, toiletries and hair products.
The move follows the Toys and Games Giveaway campaign set up by community volunteer Martine Nolan in the North Lanarkshire area three years ago, with the aim of helping struggling families with much-needed children’s Christmas presents. While that campaign continues to flourish, Martine also recognised that older siblings in these families are often forgotten about, with cuddly toys unsuitable gifts for teenagers.
So this latest initiative in partnership with Semichem, who have donated £500 of vouchers towards funding presents, has been launched and is running for three weeks across November and December, with customers invited to buy a gift and donate it.
Ms Nolan said: “Thanks to Semichem for donating the vouchers and for also providing us with the collection points in their stores in North Lanarkshire – it has helped bring this idea to life.
“Semichem is perfect because there are so many items available in store that would certainly put a smile on the face of a local teenager this Christmas.”
Scotmid Co-operative board member Kaye Harmon added: “This is a fantastic cause that we are very passionate about supporting – Martine and her team have a done an incredible job making a positive difference to local families at Christmas time.
“We were delighted to be able to support the campaign with vouchers and we would actively encourage all of our Semichem customers in North Lanarkshire to pop into their local store and donate a wee gift for local teenagers – a small gesture would go a long way towards making their Christmas special.”
