The Giving Tree Appeal offers you the chance to give the gift of friendship and turn a frown upside down for a local child this Christmas.

Your donation will give children and young people that Befriend a Child support across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire the opportunity to experience new and fun activities they would otherwise not be able to take part in due to circumstances beyond their control.

Each child that receives your support will have the chance to try new activities with their volunteer befriender or mentor who is both a role model and a friend. These experiences help build their confidence and self esteem and give children an opportunity to explore what life has to offer.

Your Christmas donation of:

£15 could pay for a visit to the cinema for a child and their befriender

£20 could pay for a tubing session for a child and their befriender

£30 could pay for a visit to the circus for a child and their befriender

£50 could pay for a Christmas lunch for 2 children at the Befriend a Child Christmas party

The time spent with their befriender or mentor will give them lasting memories to cherish.

Thank you for your support,

Have a wonderful Christmas!

LUCY'S STORY

Lucy was 6 years old when she was referred to Befriend a Child. Lucys mother passed away when she was very small and since she was 6 months old Lucy and her brother have lived with her grandmother.

It was felt that Lucy would benefit from having a befriender as her grandmother would often struggle to cope with her behaviour and, due to her age, was unable to stimulate her enthusiasm and curiosity in a constructive way. Furthermore, Lucy is a very friendly little girl and her grandmother worried that she had no concept of stranger danger. Lucy needed some 1:1 attention with a positive adult role model she could trust who could keep up with her bubbly personality and channel her energy in a productive way.

Lucy has been matched with a befriender for a year now and the relationship has been a huge success. Lucys befriender has opened the world up and offered experiences she otherwise would have missed out on such as horse riding, visits to the cinema and even the Pantomime at Christmas time. Lucys grandmother has been very grateful for the support and has noticed a visible difference and improvement in her granddaughters behaviour including her attitude towards strangers, something which her befriender has been working on. Lucy is more engaged with the world around her and thanks to her befriender the future is looking bright.