Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and Befrienders Highland are the Official Charities of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
Aberdeen Asset Management and the Tour Players Foundation (TPF), the charitable arm of The European Tour, will be working together on various initiatives during the week of the event. In addition to donations from Aberdeen and The European Tour, spectators will also have the chance to show their support for the two charities.
Aberdeen and the TPF will give £5 for every birdie, £10 for every eagle and £50 for every albatross scored during the 72 holes of the tournament. With an average figure of around 1500 birdies per event on The European Tour, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Birdie Pledge hopes to raise in the region of £15,000 which will be divided equally between CHAS and Befrienders Highland.
Spectators will be invited to make a donation of £1 when they receive the official drawsheet, with all contributions adding to the grand total.
Sam Walker, Head of Public Affairs at Aberdeen Asset Management, said: “We're delighted to be supporting these charities during the tournament. They both provide invaluable assistance in their communities and I hope through a combination of some great golf and spectator generosity, we'll be able to raise a sizeable sum.”
Peter Adams, Championship Director for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, commented: “This tournament provides a great opportunity to support the outstanding work carried out by CHAS and Befrienders Highland and, with many of the world’s leading players in attendance, we are confident of raising a substantial sum of money to help both charities through the birdie pledge and the drawsheet donation initiatives.”
About CHAS
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) is a charity that provides the only hospice services in Scotland for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.
CHAS provides home care through its CHAS at Home service, with dedicated teams in Inverness and Aberdeen and runs two children’s hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch.
Home services include nursing care and support as the end of the child’s life approaches. CHAS at Home also provides a wide range of practical and emotional help for the whole family, especially siblings who are supported through play and activities. The hospices support the whole family by offering short planned breaks, emergency support, end of life care and a range of bereavement services.
CHAS supports over 250 families, as well as a significant number of families who receive bereavement support. The services are funded mainly through the generosity of the many supporters who help raise over £7 million needed each year to provide these vital hospice services.
To find out more about CHAS visit:http://www.chas.org.uk/
About Befrienders Highland
Befrienders Highland is a long established, successful voluntary organisation providing 1-1 support for people across the Highlands who are lonely and isolated as a consequence of mental ill health. Friendship is offered by trained volunteers who have social contact with their friends either by meeting Face to Face (in the Inverness and Nairn areas), or by telephone, letter or email (across the wider Highlands). The charity currently supports over 100 friendships across the Highlands.
Volunteer Befrienders come from all walks of life and are all ages, from 18 to 86. They have in common a desire to help people build confidence and reduce isolation. Volunteers are local people who, through friendship, make an enormous difference to the lives of those they befriend.
To find out more about Befrienders Highland visit:http://www.befriendershighland.org.uk/
