Gordon & MacPhail staff raise over £16,000 for Moray Fresh Start

Family-owned premium spirits company, Gordon & MacPhail, has raised over £16,000 for Moray Fresh Start to help support homeless people in Moray when moving into new tenancies.

The charity, which was nominated by Gordon & MacPhail colleagues to be the company’s chosen charity partner for 2022, started in 2008 under the auspices of the Scottish Church Housing Action Group. It has since dedicated its efforts to supporting homeless people in the local community move into new tenancies, providing ‘Starter Packs’ containing essential supplies such as bed linens, duvets, towels, cooking and cleaning materials and small electricals.

The charity receives referrals from many departments of Moray Council as well as support from volunteers who make up Starter Packs tailored to individual requirements. In 2022 alone, Moray Fresh Start supplied 191 packs which helped 342 people, including 137 children, when they moved out of temporary accommodation into their homes.

Each year Gordon & MacPhail selects a charity partner from those nominated by its colleagues, arranging a number of fundraising initiatives throughout the year to raise money for worthwhile causes and continue to give back to the local community. As part of the fundraising activities this year, a group of colleagues undertook the Moray Coastal Trail walk, a 31.7 mile trek from Benromach Distillery in Forres to Spey Bay Golf Course. Other activities included The Beast Race, raffles, lucky squares, bake sales, colleague donations and corporate match funding.

James Workman, Chairman of Moray Fresh Start said: “All at Gordon & MacPhail have made an amazing effort over the last year fundraising on behalf of Moray Fresh Start and have donated a whopping £16,203 to our funds. This will help to safeguard our work helping people in Moray to get a good start when they leave temporary accommodation and move into their new tenancies.”

Jodie Clayton, Gordon & MacPhail HR Generalist said: ‘Supporting local charities is something the team at Gordon & MacPhail is particularly passionate about and we were delighted to raise such a large sum of money for Moray Fresh Start this year. The work Moray Fresh Start does for the local community is vital and makes such a difference to those in need, so we're honoured to play a small part in helping their services to continue.’

In previous years Gordon & MacPhail has raised £11,000 for Moray Women’s Aid and £12,000 for Abbie’s Sparkle Foundation through various fundraising initiatives such as craft sales, quizzes, and more physical challenges such as climbing Ben Nevis.