An Aberdeen woman has provided amazing support to VSA by donating over 350 gifts and goodie bags in aid of the charity’s Christmas Appeal.
In September, Amy Strath and her family were left devastated when her mother, Janice Strath, passed away suddenly aged just 54.
Janice had donated so generously to local causes over the years, including VSA. Popular and well-known in the community, she was widely recognised through her work at the Boots store in Garthdee.
Amy, aged 26 from Cove, is a Personal Trainer and plays football for Montrose Ladies, having enjoyed previous success in America, Iceland, and Aberdeen FC Ladies. She was in America when she received the tragic news. That same day, Amy had been excited to announce to her family that her long-awaited application for a visa to move permanently had been successful.
"My mum was just an amazing person, everyone loved her", explained Amy. "I wanted to do something to honour her name and that's when I learned about the incredible charity work that she did, including making up the gift bags. When I returned home, I found all these items in the loft that she had started collecting for this year's donation."
From there, inspired by her mum, Amy continued the collection and was blown away by the response. "I posted on social media about my plan to keep this amazing idea going for my mum, and we just couldn't believe the number of donations we have received at the house."
Managers and staff across VSA's services have been touched by Amy's generosity. John Booth, VSA's Acting Chief Executive said: "We are truly thankful to Amy for supporting VSA in this way. She is going to make a real difference for the many people we support this Christmas". John added: "We also wanted to thank Amy for sharing her story with us when this is clearly a very difficult time for her family. Janice will always be remembered by everyone at VSA."
Amy now intends to continue Janice's fundraising each year, meaning her legacy will always bring a much-needed smile to those who need it most. "We want to name the campaign Jan's Bags - my mum was a great believer in the phrase 'give and you will get'. Although she never looked for any credit or thank you’s for all the good things she did, I know she will love the thought of keeping the kindness going."