Aberdeenshire children’s charity overwhelmed with support from the last year

19/12/2023
Jonathan Cordiner (KWS co-founder)

LOCAL charity, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars (KWS) is celebrating a year of overwhelming support, enabling them to provide financial assistance to families of children with a terminal illness. This year, the charity has provided grants of £90,250 to 56 families across Scotland. This is a significant increase in comparison to the provision of £51,000 worth of grants in 2022.

The charity which was set up by Jonathan and Anna Cordiner after losing their two-year-old daughter Kayleigh to terminal illness, secured an impressive 17 corporate charity partners who have raised over £100,000 this year. This includes support from Apache North Sea’s offshore charity bond which donated £20,000 and Aberdeen International Airport which donated a total of £30,000 over the last two years.  

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Other support throughout the year includes grants from McDonalds in the Community who donated £20,000 to KWS, as well as donations from Seven Trades Widows Fund and Tartan Army Childrens Charity.  

Fiona Heinonen, KWS CEO, said: “It has been an amazing year looking back on it all now, I can’t believe how lucky we have been. These figures don’t even include all the amazing fundraisers who jumped out of planes, ran marathons, organised walks, took part in Run Balmoral, Ride the North and of course our KWS flagship events. They really have all been fantastic, and it is so overwhelming to see all this support”. 

Earlier in the year, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars hosted their first ‘Million Pound Ball’ where they raised over £30,000 on the night, which marked the charity’s 10th year and the milestone of raising £1 million during that time.

Jonathan Cordiner, KWS co-founder and Kayleigh’s daddy, said: “It is so heartwarming that so many families have been supported this year through the important work of Kayleigh’s Wee Stars, and we love that our little girl’s legacy continues to make a difference for others. The money raised this year provides vital financial support to families with a child with a terminal diagnosis. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us this year through fundraising events, individual donations, and our corporate partners. We never cease to be amazed by the generosity of our supporters.” 

Kayleigh’s Wee Stars are continuing to look for corporate support for 2024. If you are interested, please get in contact with Fiona Heinonen, CEO, at [email protected]

Learn more about Kayleigh’s Wee Stars at: www.kayleighsweestars.co.uk 

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