Doing Dundee Culture for nearly a decade, there is one question I’m always asked.
“Do you sell Sunny Dundee glasses?”
I am of course referring to the bright yellow sunglasses that were part of a city-wide campaign in 2018 to bring tourists into the city at a time when Dundee started getting international attention, with the likes of the V&A Dundee opening up to the world.
The glasses were very popular and the campaign was a great success.
And after it ran its course, questions about the glasses were never far away.
For Dundee Culture’s 10th anniversary I decided to bring them back – and the first batch sold out in an hour.
Childhood hospital visits
This is the first time I have created a fundraising campaign.
I decided to raise money for The Archie Foundation who do incredible work in helping infants, children, young people and their families during their visits and stays at Ninewells Hospital.
They also help with bereavements.
Any donation given to Dundee Culture in general throughout the campaign will also be donated to The Archie Foundation.
I chose The Archie Foundation for a personal reason.
When I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and various health conditions at a young age, frequent hospital visits followed.
It felt like I was never out of hospital.
There were countless visits to clinics and many operations throughout my childhood and for a short period of time, school was the only place I’d been to more times than Ninewells.
Some of the hospital visits for me included appointments at the TORT (Tayside Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Technology Services) Centre and the Tayside Children’s Hospital, where The Archie Foundation Tayside is based.
The Archie Foundation has always campaigned and fundraised to help young people across Scotland and over the years it has help improve the healthcare of nearly 200,000 children a year through its fundraising.
I am inspired by the work they do.
Going for operations at the children’s hospital, I remember playing with games and toys before operations and this is an example of what money raised from this campaign can go towards.
Making a difference
There are infants, children and young people who visit the hospital each and every day with their families. And the smallest donation could make a huge difference to their hospital experience.
One of the things that I loved about setting this campaign up was the enthusiasm the people of Dundee have for these glasses.
With the first batch already gone, the next one will arrive very soon.
And with every pair sold, I’ll remember the good cause behind this fundraiser, one which I am so proud of.
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