Thank you … with cake!

Children and funders at the Heriot Country Kids summer club.

The children at Heriot Country Kids club, which provides afterschool and holiday care to local families, has sent their heartfelt thanks to two local donors whose generosity saved the group from collapse.

The children did that the best way they know … by making and sharing cakes they’d made with representatives from both funding bodies.

“We were delighted that representatives from both the Raeshaw Estate/Bacon Foundation and the Greencoat Carcant Wind Farm (Heriot) Community Fund, were able to join the children at our summer club,” said Kevin Roose, Heriot Country Kids chair.

“At Christmas time we faced the sad task of telling parents we may need to close this long-running and much-valued service in the New Year, so to sit here today and tell families that the club’s future over the next few years is assured is a great feeling - we really do feel that the community has come together around us.

“We offer high-quality out-of-school childcare at a reasonable cost to families and are also registered with the government’s Tax Free Childcare Scheme.

"At this time when there’s a cost-of-living crisis, this new support we’ve had will prove absolutely crucial for families in the local area.

“Thanks to the huge generosity of these local supporters, we can now afford to retain our team and invest in the future development of the club. Our new partnership with School’s Out, which runs afterschool and summer clubs in Peebles and Penicuik, is another huge bonus for us, as we look to learn from and create deep links with their experienced team.”

Heriot’s Raeshaw Estate has provided up to £40,000 over two years to the club, with the Greencoat Carcant Community Fund offering £30,000 over a three year period.

A spokesperson for Raeshaw said: “We’re very happy to continue our support of Heriot Country Kids, which is an essential after-school resource for local families. We know that programmes are needed now more than ever before, given the impact of the pandemic. We hope these funds help to ensure a bright future for HCK for years to come.”