Baby charity onto a born winner as S Harrison comes up with the goods

A property development company that is behind several high-profile projects throughout Edinburgh has made a second substantial donation of baby equipment and furniture to local charity Pregnancy Counselling & Care Scotland.
David Clancy meets the charity’s Juulia Karlstedt, chair Anthea Donaghue and Alice Dickson. Picture: Colin HattersleyDavid Clancy meets the charity’s Juulia Karlstedt, chair Anthea Donaghue and Alice Dickson. Picture: Colin Hattersley
David Clancy meets the charity’s Juulia Karlstedt, chair Anthea Donaghue and Alice Dickson. Picture: Colin Hattersley

York-based S Harrison is currently transforming the Grade A-listed Buchan House, on the north-west corner of St Andrew Square, into a 72-bedroom ­Malmaison hotel.

The firm always supports charities in the areas it works in and offered its backing to the longstanding Edinburgh charity, known as PCCS, as part of the Buchan House development. PCCS offers practical and emotional support to anyone suffering due to pregnancy or childbirth. This includes providing counselling on pregnancy-related issues and supporting mothers living in hardship with clothes and equipment to help care for their babies and small children.

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Last year, S Harrison enabled the charity to fulfil all its outstanding equipment requests for the first time in more than five years, after donating a wide range of high chairs, cot beds, safety gates, bouncy chairs, walkers, bottles and bumbo seats. The company has now repeated the feat this year, with another significant donation of equipment.

David Clancy, director of S Harrison, said: “PCCS makes a genuine difference to hundreds of local mothers and their children every year, currently fulfilling up to 500 requests annually through its baby bank service.

“Although the equipment we have supplied consists of things that most families and children take for granted, the reality is that a lot of baby products are very expensive for many people. Providing our support helps to ensure our legacy in the areas and communities we work in, spreads further than the boundaries of our developments.”

Juulia Karlstedt of PCCS added: “Requests for our help are always increasing and we’re receiving a growing number of referrals from local councils and health organisations, as well as seeing more families approaching us, who have two working parents, but are still struggling to make ends meet. We also work with lots of people who ­suddenly find themselves completely alone, for any number of reasons, who have no one to ask for help.

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“As a result, we always need donations, consisting of good quality clothing for children aged between one and five, as well as larger equipment, which is always in demand. We’re extremely grateful to have S Harrison’s ­support and the company’s donations are already making a difference throughout Edinburgh.”

PCCS has been supporting families in Edinburgh and the Lothians for more than 40 years and are the city’s only baby bank service, regularly supporting more than 400 families. It also runs a free, professional counselling service.

For more information go to www.counsellingandcare.co.uk

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