Edinburgh church raises £10,000 for blood cancer charity
Published on 30 January 2025 2 minutes read
An Edinburgh church has raised £10,000 for Blood Cancer UK as part of their annual charitable efforts.
Blackhall St Columba's presented a cheque to the charity during a service on Sunday 26 January.
The entire amount raised by the congregation since they began supporting a different charity each year in 1992 is now £284,076.
Lynn Bunney, from the congregation's WATCH committee which oversees the initiative, explained how the money was raised:
"WATCH stands for Working All Together Caring and Helping Through the Cross.
"We had a coin collection in the sanctuary through July and August, we also asked our congregation to send us a photo and we chose the 12 most photogenic pets and produced a calendar for 2025 which we sold at the coffee morning and fair, then we had our annual craft coffee morning in October and our Christmas fair in early December.
The work of the committee is particularly inspired by Deuteronomy 15:10: "Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake."
They were also helped by the members of Drylaw Parish Church.
Mairead Macleod, Blood Cancer UK's, Scotland fundraising manager, said:
"Sadly every year blood cancer takes 16,000 lives away from us a year right here in the UK, making it the country's third largest cancer killer. Every diagnosis of a leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma can cause pain for loved ones, but there is hope. Research has helped drastically improve survival outcomes for many different forms of blood cancer, and thanks to fundraisers in Scotland like the WATCH Committee, we're able to invest into more research, which will help beat blood cancer for good."
Blood cancer is the UK's fifth most common cancer, and is the UK's leading charity dedicated to funding research into all blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, as well as offering information and support those with a blood cancer.
Last year's campaign supported HopScotch, an Edinburgh charity providing respite breaks for some of Scotland's most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Other beneficiaries have included children's bereavement charity Richmond's Hope and Fresh Start, an organisation helping people who have been homeless to get established in their new homes.
Rev Fergus Cook, minister of Blackhall St Columba's, said:
"The WATCH Committee do an absolutely fantastic job of organising a number of events and activities that raise funds for their chosen charity each year. Both the commitment of the committee and the enthusiasm and generosity of the congregation never ceases to amaze me when it comes to expressing God's love for others through practical means that benefit the wider community."
