Christmas On Credit

“Was Santa good to you this year?”. The words every child is asked at Christmas time, the answer to which can only be yes in the eyes of their parents. Who just want to do best by their children by any means necessary and that can sometimes land them in trouble.


Financial trouble, at Christmas time, is always a tough time financially but for some families it can be far tougher and the rest of the new year can also become a struggle too.

In a recent channel 4 documentary, “Christmas on Credit”, these problems are addressed and explains just how difficult the Christmas period can be for Britain’s poorer families. 

It opens with statistics claiming that 11% of British families are still paying off money that they borrowed for Christmas 2012, 93% feel that they are under pressure to spend too much during the festive period and around 15% of British adults plan to take out a loan for this year. 

Perfection is strived for so nonchalantly that the struggle that follows can be very harrowing, but it is kept aside until the new year then the worrying truly begins.

Around seven million people will borrow money this Christmas and four million of that will borrow just so that they can provide their families with a good hearty Christmas dinner. 

For one of the families interviewed in the documentary, the loan taken out for 2012’s Christmas has still not been paid off and are planning on taking out another loan on credit to pay for this year. At a nationwide average of £822, though, does it comes as any surprise that debt will arise for those on benefits who struggle to make it through the week let alone Christmas.

Loans on credit that have been given out last Christmas and have failed to have been paid will result in lower credit scores, meaning that loans this year will be declined. This will mean that this Christmas will be difficult but if you can scrape by then great, but what about next year?

The stigma of the whole idea and pleasantries of Christmas dull down the negative thoughts of the repayments are kept at bay because seeing the smiles on their children's’ faces is worth it.

However all of this being said, what are your thoughts? Do you think that Christmas has been over-hyped and become the source of anxiety amongst many British households? Obviously it is a great festive time that should be full of joy and time with your family, but should it cause so much strain on people? 

If you'd like to find out more about how you can help to raise vital funds for With Kids please click HERE. You can contact us on Facebook or Twitter or call us on 0141 550 5770.

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With kids Christmas Appeal 2013

The countdown to Christmas begins!

This is the time where most of us will be thinking about what gifts you are getting your friends and family, what to wear to your Christmas parties, and of course, preparing for that all important Christmas Dinner.

However, Christmas can be a very difficult time of the year for many of us, so if you can help in any way, please make a donation to With Kids.

For many children, Christmas is simply another day without the fun and warmth that the rest of us take for granted. Poverty, family breakdown or illness are just some of the reasons that a child will wake to find that Santa hasn't come this year.

With Kids aims to provide a Christmas for families who would otherwise struggle. We provide presents and food hampers for families in need. We also have a special day with dinner, entertainment and a visit from Santa.

To enable this to happen we are in desperate need of donations and are looking for:

• Children's toys
• Stocking fillers
• Non-perishable food items for hampers

If you are able to donate just one thing, this would go a long way to making it a very merry Christmas.

Donate Glasgow

To donate children's toys. stocking fillers and non-perishable food items for hamper's for With Kids Glasgow please drop them into our office at 15 Annfield Place Dennistoun, Glasgow

Donate Edinburgh

If you would like to donate non perishable food for With Kids Edinburgh just pop into the Chesser, ASDA and fill up the With Kids trolley! The address is 3 New Market Road, EH14 1RS. Or you drop any donations into our Edinburgh office at 1 Hailesland Road, Edinburgh.

Donate Online with Amazon Wishlist

We have also created a Christmas wishlist on Amazon where you can buy toys which we'll then donate to those in need. It's a great idea and means you can donate to us with the click of a button! To check this out please click HERE.

At With Kids, we believe that every child and family should have a very merry Christmas so please help us to help them. We could not do this without your help and support - thank you!

For information about what's going on at With Kids, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Food Drive

Christmas is just around the corner and at With Kids, this means we need to do a lot of gathering for our Food Drive.

And the Edinburgh WithKids office needs your help!

Please spread the word about our Food Drive in December, all of the food donated will be given to families who have asked for help over the Christmas holidays.

If you would like to donate food just pop into the Chesser ASDA and fill up the WithKids trolley!

You can donate Tinned Veggies, Pasta, Pasta sauce, Cheesy pasta, Squash, Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Biscuits, Breakfast cereal, Wipes and Tinned meat.

Please stop by and help support our Food Drive!

Please help us spread the word with your community - thank you!

You can get in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Join JCI Glasgow at their Christmas Quiz!

Our friends at JCI Glasgow are hosting a 'Christmas quiz' with Quizmaster Scott Johnston to help raise funds for With Kids.

The event takes place on Sunday 1st December at O'Neills, Merchant City from 7pm.

This is a team event (flexible team sizes - £10 per team member).

If you don't have a team but would still like to attend, the good folks at JCI will help you join one, or even form one on the night!

At With Kids, we aim to help the most vulnerable children and families in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

All of the money raised from this event will go towards helping us put on a Christmas Party for our families at With Kids. We provide presents and food hampers for families in need. We also have a special day with dinner, entertainment and a special visit from Santa.

If you would like to join in on the fun, whilst raising vital fund for With Kids, you can do so by following the details below:

Cost for the evening is £10 per person - please sign up to the event HERE.

And pay us either via PayPal or BACS (email maggie_g@jciglasgow.com for more information)

If you can’t make the evening then please help us hit our target by donating on our Just Giving Page HERE.

Please help us reach our target and put a smile on the children's faces - thank you!

To find out what else is happening at With Kids, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Letter Writing at the Disney Store to help With Kids

We're thankful to everyone who donates to us, especially on the run up to Christmas, which means we can help as many families as possible.

And we're thrilled that the Disney Store is supporting us this festive period!

The Disney Store has launched its annual 'Share in the Magic' charity campaign in Scotland. And we're bracing ourselves for an influx of teddy bears...

For every letter to Santa that is posted in-store or online, the Glasgow store will donate a soft toy to children through With Kids.

To get involved - head over to the store for letter writing workshops where staff members are on hand to help children write a letter to pop in the Christmas postbox.

If you would like to donate to With Kids, please click HERE.

Make sure you are following us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with what's going on at With Kids.

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With Kids Edinburgh Open Day

On Friday 18th October, we had the With Kids Open Day at our Edinburgh office to meet the families in and around Edinburgh.

Thankfully the rain stayed off for most of the day, meaning we could get outside and have fun with lots of different activities!

Here's another HUGE thank you to everyone that helped to make the With Kids Open Day at our brand new Edinburgh Office a huge success.

We had such a great afternoon and look forward to seeing you all again really soon!

Here are some photos from our Open Day in Edinburgh...

To find out more about With Kids Edinburgh, please do not hesitate to contact us either on Facebook, Twitter or you can call us on - 0131 453 6937.

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How With Kids Can Help

At With Kids, we wanted to reinforce the vital importance of the work we do for families in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

With Kids is based in the East End of Glasgow and in South West Edinburgh which have some of the highest levels of poverty in Scotland and the UK.

Although the facts and figures may seem bleak, not all families will have the same issues. Living in or near an area of high poverty can affect you directly or indirectly through crime, lack of amenities, poor educational facilities etc.

As well as this, the sheer volume of families who may need help means that sometimes children and families might not get the support they need; a parent struggling with a child with a learning difficulty or emotional issue might not know where to turn, a parent who's a former addict may be afraid to ask for help in case social services intervene.

How We Can Help You

All families, regardless of background find that they have difficulties from time to time and too often parent's may not be aware of available support or the best action to take. With Kids aims to fill that gap and to provide flexible support that is suited to the needs of children and parents.

Breaking Down the Facts and Figures

In some postcode areas in the east end of Glasgow, 60% of children live in workless households, almost 50% of adults of working age are on incapacity benefit and life expectancy can be as low as 54. - Glasgow Herald.

Over 90,000 children in Scotland live in severe poverty - of these:

• 72% of children parents’ are not in work
• 66% of children are in families claiming income support, job seekers allowance and incapacity benefit,
• 45% of mother’s of children have no educational qualification,
• 1 in 2 children live in single parent families,
• 10% of children are from an ethnic minority, compared to 2.6% not in poverty,
• 41% of children live in families with a disabled adult, compared to 17% of children not in poverty. - Living Below the Radar:Measuring Severe Child Poverty in the UK - Save the Children

Poorer children are five times more likely to regularly miss school. - BBC News

To find out how we can help you, give us a call on 0141 550 5770 or you can contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

The actual cost of running With Kids is some £320,000 per year. That means we must raise around £27,000 each month just to keep the doors open. 

If you'd like to make a donation to With Kids you can do so HERE. 

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Welfare Reform Information Event

We would like to invite you along to the Welfare Reform Information Event on Wednesday 13th March in Wester Hailes Library. You can drop in any time between 3.00pm - 7.00pm.


You may already know that Welfare Benefits are changing and you need to know the facts.

This event will tell you -

• What the main changes are
• Who is likely to be affected
• What you can do
• Who you can talk to
• Where to get support

This is your chance to chat to someone from the Council, Prospect or CHAI to see how you might be affected by the changes and how Prospect Community Housing can support you.

For more information contact Prospect, CHAI or South West Neighbourhood Office.

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The Kids Had a Ball!

The children at With Kids had an absolute ball at the Autumn Ball and Fashion Show and we just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to all of our lovely families who participated in our fashion show.

When the kids took centre stage on the night it really boosted their confidence and self-esteem, and their beaming smiles were evidence that they had such good fun strutting down the cat walk!

Firstly, we would like to thank our wonderful hosts, Kathleen McDermott Carberry and John Amabile, as well as Michelle McManus and Feeva for keeping us entertained!

We would also like to say a huge thank you to the fatBuzz team for organising and hosting the event, Cumbernauld College who did a truly amazing job with the hair and make-up, and Falk&Ross UK Limited and Ivy Kiss for donating clothes.

A special mention goes out to Alec from Falk&Ross for styling and for his endless patience on the night and April from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for her choreography!

Last but by no means least; thank you to the With Kids staff, volunteers, friends, family and supporters who all made the event possible. We couldn't have done it without you!

We put a little video together of the event, which you can view below. See if you can spot yourself, and remember to have a look through the photos on our Facebook page and tag yourself or anyone you know in them. 

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With Kids Edinburgh - Ladies Lunch

With Kids may have originated in the east end of Glasgow, however did you know that we also help vulnerable children and families in Edinburgh?

Thanks to Inspiring Scotland, who provided funding for our Edinburgh pilot based in Wester Hailes in the south-west of the city, we now reach even more vulnerable families across Scotland on a daily basis.

And on Friday 28th of September, we are hosting a Ladies Lunch at the beautifully restored Grade A Ghillie Dhu in Edinburgh - where all proceeds from the event will go to our Wester Hailes Project.

The afternoon, hosted by Peter Ferguson of PDF Productions, will include entertainment by the fabulous Edward Reid, semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent.

fatBuzz, a social media, design, marketing and events management company from Glasgow, is organising the event and the champagne reception is sponsored by Inverarity Morton, one of Scotland's largest independent drinks suppliers.

There will also be an opportunity to shop from a selection of pop up shops including Nova Handbags and Orli Jewellery.

There are a variety of ways in which you can help. You could become a sponsor for the afternoon or you could take a table. A table for 10 is priced at £500, or individual tickets can be bought for £50.

If you are unable to attend, perhaps you could help in some other way? We are looking for auction and raffle prizes or maybe you would simply like to make a donation?

To book a ticket, or table, please email events@fatbuzz.com

You can now follow With Kids Edinburgh on Twitter, where you can keep up to date with our latest news and information.

We will also be revealing our new With Kids Edinburgh ambassador, who is an ex-Scotland rugby international, as soon as possible! Can you guess who it will be?

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Let's face facts...

We want to put things into perspective. We are a charity working with kids in the East End of Glasgow and have recently taken the same format to Wester Hailes in Edinburgh. Although not all children and families in these areas are affected by the issues we tackle, there are hard hitting facts and figures that we would like to share with you that highlight the need for us to work with children that are living in poverty and its affects.



Facts and Figures:

• In some postcode areas in the east end of Glasgow, 60% of children live in workless households, 

• Almost 50% of adults of working age are on incapacity benefit and life expectancy can be as low as 54. - (Glasgow Herald)

Over 90,000 children in Scotland live in severe poverty - of these:

• 72% of children parents’ are not in work

• 66% of children are in families claiming income support, job seekers allowance and incapacity benefit,

• 45% of mother’s of children have no educational qualification,

• 1 in 2 children live in single parent families,

• 10% of children are from an ethnic minority, compared to 2.6% not in poverty,

41% of children live in families with a disabled adult, compared to 17% of children not in poverty. - Living Below the Radar:

• Measuring Severe Child Poverty in the UK - Save the Children

• Poorer children are five times more likely to regularly miss school. - BBC News

Poverty in Glasgow is being blamed for malnutrition in almost one in five youngsters who attended a children's hospital in the city. Health experts say many families cannot afford a more varied diet.  - BBC News

Although the facts and figures may seem bleak, not all families will have the same issues. However, living in or near an area of high poverty can affect you directly or indirectly through crime, lack of amenities, poor educational facilities etc.

And the sheer volume that may need help means that sometimes children and families might not get the support they need; a parent struggling with a child with a learning difficulty or emotional issue might not know where to turn, a parent who's a former addict may be afraid to ask for help in case social services intervene.

All families, regardless of background find that they have difficulties from time to time and too often parent's may not be aware of available support or the best action to take. With Kids aims to fill that gap and to provide flexible support that is suited to the needs of children and parents.


To find out more about the work we do here at With Kids you can visit our website or you can keep up to date with us on our Facebook and Twitter page.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you.

Canal Boat Cruise with Santa on the Grand Union Canal

We know Santa is well known for riding on his sleigh but on December 22nd 2011 Santa gave up his sleigh for one afternoon to sail with 41 children and their parents/carers from Wester Hailes along the Grand Union Canal in Edinburgh. The Santa cruise was organised by the With Kids team recently set up to work in Edinburgh’s Wester Hailes.

 On board everyone was treated to a welcome drink of hot chocolate, tea, coffee or soft drink and mince pies, sandwiches, and a selection of nibbles, everyone then relaxed to some festive music as the boat set sail to look for Santa.


During trip the children and their families participated in some brilliant festive singing to try and lure Santa to the boat. Everyone sung very loudly and it wasn’t long until Santa was spotted by the children climbing on board the boat. It was such a joy to watch the children’s faces light up when they first caught a glimpse of Santa. Once on board Santa greeted everyone with a big Ho! Ho! Ho!


Santa asked the children if they had been good children and of course they all had been! Santa then handed out 41 personalised Christmas presents to all the children and 23 Christmas presents to their parents/carers. Santa then left the boat to the children shouting ‘goodbye Santa’. It was truly a magical and exciting trip enjoyed by  both children and their families.

Look out for more news and updates from With Kids newest base in Edinburgh.  We would love for you to join us on our Facebook page and get involved in our online discussions. We also have a Twitter page for you to keep in touch.


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