Glasgow The Caring City unites emergency services, armed forces, faith groups and politicians to remember victims of terrorist attacks
SCOTTISH aid charity, Glasgow The Caring City. is hosting a special multi-agency and multi-faith act of remembrance this Sunday, on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the USA.
The charity, which has been delivering humanitarian relief both at home and abroad since 1999, provided rehabilitation holidays for the bereaved children of New York emergency service workers from 2001.
This Sunday Glasgow The Caring City will join representatives of blue-light emergency services, armed forces, faith groups and politicians at a ceremony at:
Cathcart Old Parish Church, 119 Carmunnock Road, Glasgow G44 5UW (1:45pm for 2:00pm service)
The service has been set up to commemorate the lives lost on that late summer’s day and celebrate the extensive bonds formed between friends and emergency service colleagues both sides of the Atlantic.
The event will led by Rev Neil Galbraith CEO of Glasgow the Caring City, Archbishop Mario Conte and Rev Sandra Black, Moderator of Glasgow Church of Scotland.
Attending Politicians include:
- Linda Fabiani MSP,
- Annabel Goldie MSP,
- Tom Harris MP
Attending Faith representatives include:
- Dr M.T Shaheen of Glasgow Central Mosque
- Fiona Brodie of the Jewish Representative Council
- Mr. Chowdhary of the Sikh Temple.
Emergency service and principle officers include:
- Donna Linnet of the US Consulate
- Rt Hon. Bob Winters, Provost of Glasgow.
- Brian Sweeney, Fire master of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
- George Hamilton, Assistance Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police.
Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Pipes and Drums of Strathclyde Police and Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Blair Douglas and the Choir of Kings Park Secondary School.
Glasgow Caring City CEO, Rev Galbraith, said: “This is an important way of conveying a serious message of compassion and humanity to the families of those who lost their lives on 9/11. The loss of life didn’t end there though.
“Our nations’ sons and daughters have fought battles in Iraq and Afghanistan for the sake of our safety and this must also be remembered.
“It also helps to highlight Glasgow The Caring City’s track record over 12 years in supporting vulnerable, children who live in crisis both in Scotland and throughout the world.
“Crisis is not defined by geography, economy or wealth. Every day children experience distress and crisis and we must be prepared to help.”
Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Andy Bates, said: “We are honoured to be asked to participate in this service, which will remember the tragic events that took place ten years ago and the thousands of lives that were lost.
“Strathclyde Police has a close affinity with the emergency service workers in New York and our officers wholly understand the pressures their colleagues would have experienced in dealing with such tragic circumstances.
“The service is also about paying tribute to those who put their lives at risk during the rescue and recovery effort, those who worked tirelessly while bravely managing their own grief as they learned of the lose of family, friends and colleagues.”
Among the projects Glasgow The Caring City currently manages are: Give a Kid a Goal, a football-inspired citizenship and cultural awareness scheme for 3,000 Scottish schoolchildren; and Matthew’s Farm, an agricultural training school in Southern Sudan, which supports 600 young farmers – many of whom are former child soldiers, refugees and returning villagers. (More details at foot).
Last year, the charity led the West Coast of Scotland’s response to the Earthquake which ripped through Haiti and earlier this year it launched Scotland4Japan to help in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake.
For more info visit www.glasgowthecaringcity.com
Ends
Issued by Glasgow The Caring City. For more details and attendance:
Contact Rev Neil Galbraith on 0141 637 4168 or 07710796332
revneilgalbraith@hotmail.com
Notes to editors
Glasgow The Caring City was set up in 1999 as a response to the growing refugee crisis in Glasgow, from the Balkan’s conflict. Since then, the charity has been involved with humanitarian crises in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Malawi. The organisation also manages a number of initiatives across Scotland, mainly aimed at motivating children to learn about their local community, environmental issues and the developing world. In 2010, the charity led the west coast of Scotland’s response to the Haitian Earthquake disaster and earlier this year it launched Scotland4Japan to help in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake.
Glasgow the Caring City case studies
Local Scottish charity, Glasgow the Caring City, has been working hard over the last year to improve the health and wellbeing of children both in Scotland and abroad.
Their efforts have enabled Scotland to punch above its weight in humanitarian aid through its Give a Kid a Goal initiative, which has broadened the perspective of many school and college students across Scotland, its ongoing relief efforts in Haiti and its ‘Matthew’s Farm’ project, which has brought much needed agricultural support to war-torn Sudan.
Give a Kid a Goal is a nationwide empowerment programme, set up by Glasgow the Caring City, to support young people through citizenship, environment and cultural awareness modules. Running across the whole of Scotland and covering over 3,000 students per year, the programme is designed to create a new generation of young leaders by motivating them to achieve a goal specifically aimed at tackling child poverty, disability and bullying problems across Scottish and Third World societies. Give a Kid a Goal compliments the Curriculum for Excellence from nursery to higher education levels and has recently expanded to include youth networks such as the Boys brigade. Since its establishment in 2009, the programme has successfully rewarded over 5,000 graduates.
In January 2010, local charity Glasgow the Caring City led Scotland’s emergency response to the disaster in Haiti. Within 12 weeks of the Haitian earthquake, this small Scottish charity coordinated the procurement, shipping and distribution of over £8 million worth of aid material, including over 2,000,000 hygiene packs. In addition to this immediate relief work, Glasgow the Caring City joined forces with several global charities to construct a new learning centre for Cite Soleil, enabling over 2,000 Haitian children to lead normal lives by gaining valuable education.
In war-torn Southern Sudan, Glasgow the Caring City is providing agricultural training to communities badly affected by 20 years of civil conflict. Matthew’s Farm, established in 2008, supports 600 young farmers – many of whom are former child soldiers, refugees and returning villagers. The programme provides dedicated training at a purpose built agricultural college. Positive outcomes include 600 new smallholder farms, a co-operative food and seek bank, literacy and numeracy for the extended community and a functioning market economy. By 2012, the project will be entirely self-sufficient and will train over 300 farmers per annum.
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Contact: Ross Galbraith
Phone: 07980740753
Email: ross@glasgowthecaringcity.com
Website: http://www.glasgowthecaringcity.com/
