Candles With A Cause...

Back in 2018 when Kindness & Co was just a thought, I imagined Candles With A Cause – with every candle having a specific charity partner and profits from that candle go directly to them.   The first Charity was South Ayrshire School Clothing Bank, during those first few years Kindness & Co funded the clothing bank and there was no need for grant applications and all the work that goes along with that.  I was also able to take on another few charity partners and the Candles With A Cause dream started to grow. 

Whiteleys Retreat were the next charity I added, the moment I visited this place I knew it was a very special place indeed.  Loosing my brother at age 20 to leukaemia I could see how much a stay at Whiteleys would mean to a family, the care and solace they provide families during their most vulnerable times is just incredible.   Every need is met during their stay, families can reconnect and relax knowing everything they need is in one place.  Happy Place and Lemongrass & Ginger was the perfect combination. 

Dementia Art Trust were next…I spoke with Joanne and she told me all about her charity and how they delivery art classes within care homes and the difference they are making to peoples lives.  How faces light up when they see their creations and how skills people had long since thought they’d forgotten can return.  The Roses candle with the saying My Hand In Yours was the perfect partnership 😊

Beautiful Inside & Out, if I remember right we first started chatting about Angel Wings and this progressed to their charity candle.  Not only does this candle have the charity logo on it but ‘You Are Beautiful Inside & Out’ are the last words Pauline said to her daughter Jenna.  Jenna tragically committed suicide age 13, and her mum set up this charity to help bereaved parents and their siblings.  They provide invaluable support systems, counselling sessions and care throughout Ayrshire.   

Menstrual Health Project were chosen after my daughter Emily was diagnosed with Endometriosis age 18, this had been a fight from a very young age, failed laparoscopies, telling an 11yr old that all girls get periods this is normal (ITS NOT!), then subjecting a 15yr old to mirena coil as treatment, early menopause symptoms brought on by medication and more hormone treatments that any young girl should ever have to take.  Thankfully Emily had successful laparoscopy and excision surgery in December 2021 her endo was excise, she was able to reduce her pain medication immediately and has continued to go from strength to strength.  Menstrual Health Project is a fantastic Charity who provide practical support for those suffering with menstrual concerns and conditions to be able to navigate more accurately and comfortably through whatever stage in life.  They have a wonderful toolkit specifically for teens Menstrual Health Toolkit - under 18's this is a fantastic resource and they are aiming to print and donate these to schools so they are accessible to all!

Night Before Christmas Campaign I met Jodie and her lovely mum in 2017 when I was starting South Ayrshire School Clothing Bank, we had a common cause and passion.  Jodie and her mum work tirelessly within the community making sure Christmas comes to every child.  During Christmas 2023 Campaign they managed to help over 7,898 children and vulnerable adults which is just incredible.   I met with Jodie and Isabelle in January 2023 to chat about future of School Clothing Bank….it needed someone to take it forward and I knew my days of juggling my day job at our family business LPS Ltd, School Clothing Bank and Kindness & Co were taking their toll.  So South Ayrshire School Clothing Bank is now encompassed within the wonderful Night Before Christmas Campaign and their fragrance Wintertime also becomes Wintertime In Spring…making it an all year round fragrance for an all year round Charity!  The wording on the candle is also such a true reflection of Jodie, her wonderful Mum and the team of elves who make the magic happen!

Without the day to day running of the school clothing bank I’ve been able to add on more charities this year, starting with

Angel Mums, I first heard about this charity earlier this year when I made a donation from Kindness & Co to their fundraiser.  They are an inspirational group of mums whose motto is From Pain Comes Hope.  This year they are taking on a huge fundraising challenge Earth, Wind & Fire raising funds for vital research and treatment of brain cancer.  Did you know Brain Cancer is the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40 – I didn’t till I met these wonderful Angel Mums who have all tragically lost a child to this awful disease.  So after Louise got in touch to see if I could create a candle, I set to work and when the candle launched it was a huge success and reaffirmed by believe in Candles With A Cause!

Harbour Ayrshire – One of the founders of this charity is John Gilardi, one of our closest and best friends.  After the huge success of the Angel Mums candle I was walking with my husband Alan, Arlene and John and our doggies and said to John that Kindness & Co should also have a Harbour candle.  We worked on a label, chose a fragrance but tragically in May this year John died in a car accident.  Devastated isn’t a strong enough word, candles were halted, our hearts were broken.  In June The John Gilardi Legacy was set up, still fundraising for Harbour Ayrshire, a charity working to help those recovering from drug / alcohol addiction, a charity John was so passionate about.   The sales of the JG Legacy candle were phenomenal – like nothing I’d ever seen….John would of LOVED that his candle was the best selling charity candle.

Ayrshire Hospice, the lovely Linda at 27 Alloway passed my details and made the introduction to Ayrshire Hospice.  They provide palliative and end of life care for patients and their families.  They are a wonderful organisation, well known in Ayrshire with a fabulous team of nurses, carers and volunteers which is testament to the organisation and the services they provide.  I worked with Ayrshire Hospice choosing the right fragrance and label for their candle was so important.  The candle was a great success at the Hospice Winter Fair this festive season with all candles selling out – so it’s a been a busy week replenishing their stock.

Doing It For Daniel, I first met Alison a few years ago when she heard of Kindness & Co from Maxine at Whiteleys.  We began chatting about candles, soaps for Daniels Beach House and started designs of the candle.  The charity was formed on the 15^th July 2021 in memory of Alisons son Daniel Caplan from Newton Mearns, Glasgow. Daniel was in S5 at school. He was a popular boy who loved music, football and having fun with his friends. In May 2020, aged 16, Daniel began to complain of headaches and his family also noticed he was walking with a very slight limp. He was immediately taken to the Queen Elizabeth hospital and diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour called DMG/DIPG (Diffuse midline glioma). This is a terminal brainstem tumour mostly affecting children. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer and yet only 1% of the national cancer spend is on brain tumour research. Daniel wanted to change this and give hope to others diagnosed with this devastating cancer. 

Ayrshire Cancer Support are the final charity for 2024, I met with them last Tuesday to choose the fragrance and we agreed we needed to fast track it so we caught Candle Season (January is a very quiet month!)  Until I visited last week I didn’t know much about Ayrshire Cancer Support, I knew they offered patient transport but I didn’t realise they also offer complementary therapies, professional counselling for all ages.   Visiting their premises in Kilmarnock last week it was so lovely to meet the team and the volunteers, they also offer a drop in service so anyone affected by cancer can stop in for a coffee and a chat, it’s a lovely friendly, welcoming space and I’m so pleased they are now part of the K&Co charity candles.  The fragrance they chose is Coastal Whispers, a delicate fragrance with a beautiful freshness…and its now online!

And so it seems we now have Kindness & Co and Candles With A Cause is not just a dream but now a reality – its all happened organically and in its own time and I couldn’t be more delighted.  Every single charity is so important to me, they each bring something different to the world and are creating a huge impact locally and nationally and I'm so honoured that Kindness & Co get to play a small part in their fundraising.

I have some thoughts on how Kindness & Co will evolve in 2025 but more on that later…

This Christmas it would be wonderful if you chose one of our Charity Candles in your gifting.

#candleswithacause