SCOTTISH children’s charity The Archie Foundation raised more than £2m in 2024 to support babies, children and their families.
The amount raised was an increase of 22% from the previous year and a total of 3,341 babies and children were directly supported by the charity’s services across Scotland, an increase of 15% compared to 2023.
The Archie Foundation recently announced its impact figures for 2024, with a total of £2,039,936 raised through fundraising events, donations and grants throughout 2024.
The charity also provided accommodation for 1,205 parents between 1 January and 31 December, allowing them to stay close to their children during a hospital stay.
More than 50,000 children were indirectly supported by Archie during visits to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells in Dundee and Highland Children’s Unit and Birnie Centre at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Paula Cormack, chief executive of The Archie Foundation, thanked all its supporters for their continued efforts as the charity prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025.
She said: “On behalf of all the babies, children and families who have benefitted this year, I’d like to thank everyone who has supported Archie, whether that’s by donating toys or books, a financial contribution, corporate fundraising or simply spreading the word about our services.
“The support throughout 2024 has been outstanding and we are extremely grateful.”
The Archie Foundation also hit a milestone this year, celebrating 15 years since the inception of Archie’s Child Bereavement Service (ACBS).
The charity gifted a total of 1,152 specialist bereavement books last year, each one carefully chosen to deliver tailored support to the 488 bereaved children referred to the service over the course of 2024.
The Archie Foundation also oversaw 16 enhancement projects in hospitals including delivering a new website for Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and linked paediatric facilities and services across NHS Grampian, a partnership with Glenlaw House in Dundee, a respite centre for children with complex medical needs.
The charity also partnered with the University of Dundee’s Medical School to create the Archie Foundation Child Health Research Laboratory at Ninewells.
The Archie Foundation approved 433 funding applications totalling more than £600,000, which has mainly gone to specialist medical equipment that will help children with recovery and rehabilitation.
A small amount of the funding has also gone to support families with essentials and travel costs to and from children’s hospitals.
Fundraising came in a variety of ways for the charity this year, including supporters running ultra marathons, skydiving, undertaking all kinds of different 24-hour challenges and attending Highland shows.
The charity also hosted events, from it’s flagship Battle of the Badges to the inaugural Archie Variety Show, which is to return for a second year in April, at Aberdeen’s Tivoli Theatre.
The charity’s fundraising campaign to ‘deliver the difference’ continues at the new Baird Family Hospital, which is under construction on the Foresterhill site, and is expected to open in late 2025.
