Providing support, to raise money for those in need. A service, which is performed without any expectation of result or award for performing it. Performed to benefit other human beings or society.
During 2018 we started raising funds to sponsor a primary school in Southern Malawi for a whole year, called Chigubudu Primary School via Mary’s Meals, with a vision of one day ending world hunger. Chikwawa, the area where our school is, lies in a malaria endemic area in Africa. Many of these children are orphaned. In previous years we have worked with various schools and Marys Meals, but decided in 2018 to focus on this school only for now, to see if we could really make a difference.
We started with 305 Primary Children to feed each year, 168 Boys & 137 Girls, which is now growing. It costs only £13.90 to feed 1 child for 1 year. Our target is to raise £4,240.00 annually. In 2018, after the success of our Vintage Yoga Tea Party (18.11.18), as a team, we were named the official sponsors for 2019. (20.11.18), For year 2 we actually raised, £4,741.73!!!!
During 2019, year 2, we ran 108 Sun Salutation Events, both for the Summer & Winter Solstice. We had a summer event, where classes ran from morning till night, our teachers kindly volunteering their time and our yoga community, turning up, offering this incredible energy in the studio and donating so generously. We had Vicky & Freya tirelessly massaging and Shazia Durrani, creating the most spectacularly intricate Henna designs. Thank you to Imogen Dalton (Actress/Nurse on hand if we needed), for counting each Sun Salutation and keeping the energy going. Massive Thank You also to the Sweaty Betty Glasgow Team, who gathered as much goodies as they could to ensure everyone during the 108 Sun Salutes was hydrated, fed and pampered, much appreciated! We ran a raffle with incredible prizes from @Bejialiofficial @twabirdssoaps @tlctheleafco @punjabikitchen @silvergreenjewellery @yogioils and Private sessions, 1-1’s and Multi-passes were also raffled.
In 2019, at the end of November after a last rush up the mountains, we started a NEW Event, ‘Munro Bagging’, raising the much needed funds to reach our target. This was the push we needed to become the 2020 sponsors for Chigubudu Primary School and yes we made it…just! 🙂
2020 Update – During 2020 and with all we faced, the studio being closed, we still managed to raise an astonishing £3719.07 towards our 3rd year of sponsoring this particular school, including Gift Aid of £496.75. This was raised by our 108 Sun Salutations at the end of 2019, some more Munro Bagging money came in, thanks to Balbir and Kamila, one of our new 2019 Yoga Teacher graduates, volunteered to teach a couple of Yoga Classes for donations. Balbir kindly asking for her birthday money to come directly to us and for those that couldn’t get to class because of covid, many of you donated what was left on your pass and the lovely Margaret donated her deposit for our Portuguese Yoga Retreat!!
Refuweegee – At the end of last year, we were wondering where to put our focus and after hearing some extremely upsetting stories of refugees coming into Glasgow, their struggles and the horrific journeys they faced to get here, we decided to reach out and ask our community to help us raise as much stuff as we could for www.refuweegee.co.uk Everyone rolled up their sleeves, our students, teachers, 2020 Yoga Teacher Graduates, family and friends, everyone helped, collected and managed to fill a truck load of necessities.
2021 – Even with Covid and all its continuing restrictions, our community gathered together, while we ran an online 108 Sun Salutations in Spring, raising a whopping £658.10 with all funds going towards Virunga National Park for the care and protection of wild mountain gorillas. Inspired by my daughters love of wild animals and interest in protection of all endangered species and the tireless work from the rangers of Virunga.
Update on our Our latest Ukrainian Appeal.
With a small and mighty 108 Sun Salutations Team, we swithered and swayed should we postpone, until more of our yoga family would be available, but that would have been the wrong thing to do. Yoga is about now, living in the present moment, the people of Ukraine don’t have a choice to pause and wait for a better day, the war is NOW. So with this crazy bunch, we created an event with our beautiful community donating online. We have raised so far £340 on ticket sales alone and a further generous donation of £250 was added to this, requesting after direct dialogue to our friends in Ukraine to go to a horse shelter. Saving the horses from being shot as the brave people that are sheltering them had run out of supplies. Because of our day, these horses are still alive and waiting terrified to be moved to safety. The £340 and counting from ticket sales is going direct to those that are fleeing from Ukraine and managing to get to the Polish Border.
I’ll keep you updated with photos and more NEWS on this soon
THANK YOU EVERYONE – This is YOGA x
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN PART IN OUR FUNDRAISING EVENTS, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
OUR YOGA STUDIO HAS BEEN FUNDRAISING SINCE 2014, WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!
You have shown true community spirit by coming together and selflessly offering to volunteer your time and skills, gathering things for us to sell at our Tea Parties/Vintage Shop, washing ridiculous amounts of dishes!!! Thinking outwith the box, raising funds by doing all sorts, cooking meals and charging your guests, getting your hat out at parties, being sponsored, walking up mountains, attending our fundraiser classes and events. Collecting Jeep/Truck loads for the Glaswegian refugee community, collecting undies for Africa, to help prevent attacks on young girls and woman and bringing in a tremendous amount of food for the local food banks. In our early years, 2014, 2015 and 2016, we focused on Glasgow’s homeless, teaming up with Spirit Aid, who also do incredible work. There’s always so much going on and so much to get involved in, if you’re a natural fundraiser and are full of ideas, get in touch, we need you….
