Outreach4CLAN campaign brings in over £22k
From the left: Sub editor Craig Taylor, sports editor Mark Harcus, editor Leah Seator, prepress supervisor Leigh Kennedy, website designer Craig Miller, CLAN’s area manager Karen Scott, prepress designer Morgan Geddes-Ward, general manager Craig MacInnes, CLAN’s support facilitator Elspeth Linklater (CLAN), proofreader Glenys Alsop, newspaper designer Kerry Martin, reporter Andrew Stewart and trainee reporter Rachael Batty.(www.theorcadianphotos.co.uk)
The Orcadian’s Outreach4CLAN campaign has raised £22,786.07 for an expansion of CLAN’s vital charity services in Orkney — over double what the appeal set out to achieve in August.
The team at The Orcadian is extending grateful thanks this week to the very many individuals, businesses and organisations, and event organisers across Orkney and beyond who have supported the cause so generously.
The campaign was kickstarted using the £500 prize money presented to The Orcadian with the Highlands and Islands Newspaper of the Year 2018 accolade, back in February.
It came to a close on Monday, December 2, when The Orcadian’s MEGA prize raffle was drawn by CLAN’s Karen Scott and Elspeth Linklater, in our Hatston office.
Originally setting out to raise £10,000, the aim was to help the local CLAN team fund plans to extend their services to people in the county who are not currently within their reach.
The Orcadian’s editor, Leah Seator, said: “We were absolutely thrilled when we reached our £10,000 target in October. But to be able to now officially say we have raised over twice the amount we set out to achieve is absolutely amazing. The donations came in thick and fast, and we are so grateful to all of those who contributed in any way. Orkney is a tremendously generous place, and the community has yet again come up trumps!”
The campaign saw the newsteam reporting on a different element of the charity’s services every week, as well as making a short video about CLAN Orkney.
Staff from across the company rallied to host events including a prize bingo, which took in over £3,000, and a MEGA prize draw which made nearly £6,000.
The rest of the money came in from donations from generous individuals and businesses across the county, via a the newspaper or through The Orcadian website.
Mrs Seator added: “We are so very grateful to all of the staff at The Orcadian, who have pulled together to keep the campaign running. What a team!
“All of the money raised in this campaign will stay in Orkney, and is earmarked for this project, so we will very much look forward to seeing how the CLAN team get on with their plans.
“With only three paid staff, and a band of willing volunteers, they do so much already — so much, in fact, that we have been able to hear about a different element of their work in the newspaper every week since the launch of our campaign — that is some 14 different articles . . . plenty of source material!
“They make such a difference to all of us who have been affected by cancer in any way, by giving advice, a supportive shoulder, support, therapies — even organising a roof over our heads during treatment.“They are truly amazing, and this money will mean that more people can benefit from the fantastic work they do.”
CLAN’s area manager Karen Scott added: “Having the weekly features has been invaluable in highlighting the services we already offer.
“The monies raised, by the people of Orkney and further afield, through The Orcadian’s ‘Outreach4CLAN’ appeal, will enable us to reach out to more people across the county who are affected by their own or someone else’s cancer diagnosis, and for that we are truly grateful.”