CONSTRUCTION, energy and property contractor Procast has again shown its support for young people who are forced to become carers for others.
For the fifth year in a row, the group donated Christmas presents for North Lanarkshire Young Carers at a special party night in Motherwell, not far from the organisation’s HQ.
As in previous years, Procast approached the organisation to ask the youngsters – some as young as eight – to write down their Christmas wish and pledged that they would make it come true.
The aim is to ensure these young people, who carry heavy family responsibilities and who are living in challenging circumstances, do not go without a deserved present at Christmas.
The gifts – for 185 carers in total, which is double the number of previous years – were handed over by Procast’s Kirstie Adams and Megan Ballantyne as Young Persons Practitioner Jason Lyttle and his colleagues looked on.
Action for Children North Lanarkshire Young Carers (the organisation’s full title) raise awareness and identify and provide direct support to children who are forced to help to look after someone in their family for a variety of reasons. They are at full capacity and have a backlog of young people waiting to join the service and receive vital support.
North Lanarkshire Council is a key customer of Procast, and the company first identified the Action for Carers service as a cause in need of support in 2019.
Group MD Derek Innes said, “We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy a happy and positive childhood and access to help to guide them into their adulthood when they can fulfil their potential. These young carers may not have this opportunity at home due to the responsibilities they have of caring for their family members through illness, disability or misuse of drugs or alcohol.
“The service that Action for Children provides for these kids is second to none and potentially is the only respite they have. The children are able to connect with other kids in similar circumstances and have the chance to lean on the great staff for guidance, particularly the older kids, with CVs etc. We are, as always, honoured and humbled to make a small difference. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when we deliver their presents makes what we do all year worthwhile.”
A spokesperson for Action for Children North Lanarkshire Young Carers added, “A huge thank you to everyone at Procast for all of the very thoughtful and generous Christmas gifts for our young carers – you have made their Christmas wishes come true! Also, the gifts were beautifully presented, and we appreciate all the time that went into organising and wrapping them.”
The presents were paid for by fundraising events organised by members of the Procast team over the course of the year.
Procast Group is a principal contractor operating across Scotland and England from a base in Hamilton. The group comprises Procast Building Contractors, Procast Property Services and Procast Energy Services, and recently incorporated Thermsaver Heating Solutions and Brimar mechanical and electrical into the business.
The business delivers internal and external building refurbishments, new-build projects and extensions, multi-trade works and efficiency packages.
