Your pocket money can transform children's lives
Author Ian Rankin, TV personality Carol Smillie, broadcaster Bryan Burnett and children’s TV star Matthew McVarish have all backed a Scottish children's charity in asking kids of all ages to share their memories of pocket money.
They have shared their childhood memories as part of Seamab’s Pocket Money Campaign, which aims to raise funds for the charity’s work with some of Scotland's most vulnerable children.
Seamab is a children’s charity based at Rumbling Bridge in Perthshire. The organisation helps children who have suffered trauma and loss to have a childhood in which they feel safe, accepted and happy and provides the support and opportunities that make it possible for them to heal, grow and learn.
Now, for the first time in its history, Seamab is launching a major campaign asking people to donate their monthly "pocket money" to help make a sea change in the lives of the children, and to share their pocket money stories on their new microsite.
Donations of what is small change for the average adult will help us to provide the sea change in the lives of children
The campaign features the story of eight-year-old Jamie, a fictional child who demonstrates how Seamab helps children who have had experiences such as abuse, neglect, trauma and loss.
Every child is unique, but Jamie is typical of the children aged between five and thirteen who call Seamab home.
Susie Williamson, Seamab’s fundraising manager, said: “Jamie is eight. Before he came to Seamab, he’d had a really tough time. A lot of bad things had happened to him, and he believed they were all his fault.
"Most adults couldn’t stick with him. So he didn’t think he’d be at Seamab very long. Jamie felt angry a lot of the time. He didn’t get along with other children, and found it hard to trust adults.”
Seamab helps children like Jamie to believe in themselves, to trust and build relationships with others, and to make sense of what has happened to them.
Susie added: "We’re absolutely delighted that Ian, Carol, Bryan and Matthew have supported our Pocket Money Campaign by sending us their pocket money stories, and we hope the Scottish public will join in by sharing their own stories at seamab.org.uk/pocketmoney, and donating their small change.
"The donations of what is small change for the average adult will help us to provide the sea change in the lives of children like Jamie who come to Seamab. We want to give them the chance to heal, grow and learn and set them on a path towards a happier, healthier future.”
Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels, shared his experiences of pockey money. He said: "My parents were very careful with money - they had to be, as there wasn't much of it around! I recall them seated at the kitchen table every pay-day, dividing the cash up, with some going to the summer holiday fund, some for Christmas presents, some for insurance policies, and so on.
“I think that rubbed off on me. In my teenage diary I would keep note of the albums I would buy if and when I got enough money, the price of each recorded next to it. But most of my pocket money went on boys' comics. At one point, I think I was buying four or five a week. They were cheap and full of adventures, and eventually I started making up adventures of my own.”
Seamab made headlines in September when it won the Best Partner Relationship title at the Scottish Fundraising Awards for its work with design agency StudioLR, which created a new brand for the charity, helping it to better tell its story.
