SCOTSIN - LONDON: Happy St Andrews Day: ScotsCare Launch - the Charity to help Scots In Need In London

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LONDON: Happy St Andrews Day: ScotsCare Launch - the Charity to help Scots In Need In London

News - Charity

Written by ScotsCare

Wednesday, 30 November 2005

A new charity launched today will tackle poverty and need among Scots in London, a forgotten group overshadowed by big Scottish names in politics, the media and business in the capital. Actress Blythe Duff – star of the Scottish television police drama Taggart -- and former Conservative Party leader, The Rt Hon Iain Duncan-Smith MP, opened the ScotsCare charity at the organisation’s Covent Garden, London, headquarters.

A tenth of the estimated 340,000 people of Scottish origin living in greater London live in poverty, face chronic illness, heartrending loneliness or a combination of all three.

Duff said: “This is a very special charity for people of Scottish origin who fall into need in London and I am delighted to support their wonderful work.”

Duncan-Smith, who was born in Edinburgh, said: “As a Scot in London, I feel particular concern for my fellow countrymen who have fallen on hard times in London and it is wonderful that ScotsCare will help alleviate their suffering. ScotsCare is typical of the sort of community groups and charities we work with at the Centre for Social Justice, which I set up in Lambeth.”

ScotsCare chairman Wylie White said: “It is a sad fact that the lure of London turns sour for some young people and unfortunate older people face heart-rending problems with chronic illness and poverty. ScotsCare will provide a helping hand for those whom the system overlooks in the best traditions of Scottish fellowship.”

ScotsCare will help Scots in need in London, ranging from funds for people with chronic illnesses or poverty to visits by specially-trained volunteers to the lonely elderly to grants to students unable to study without financial aid.

First and second generation Scots in the greater London area qualify for help but the charity does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation or personal background.

ScotsCare is a registered trademark of the Royal Scottish Corporation (registered charity 207326), a four-centuries-old charity which has helped over a million people. It traces its origins to the Union of the Crowns in 1603 when King James VI of Scotland moved to London to become King James I of England. Scots who accompanied him to London and succeeded helped those who fell on hard times, a tradition continued today by ScotsCare.

ScotsCare contact: Chief Executive Willie Docherty.Phone: business hours 020-7240 3718, mobile 07984-468488, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , mail: ScotsCare, 37 King Street, London, WC2E 8JS. web: www.scotscare.com. Please quote www.scotsinlondon.com / This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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