A Gift Appreciated

Every year members of Corstorphine Craigsbank and East Craigs donate Christmas gifts to the children of those in our prison system. Your generosity is always much appreciated. 2025 will be the 40th year this collection has been running, It will also be Colin O’Flaherty’s 25th & last collection as he is retiring after 40 years in the prison service. Colin has sent the following thank you letter and asked that it be shared with all.

Dearest Friends,

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Thank you, for your support for the Edinburgh prison Christmas gift collection.

Your kindness and generosity made sure that two hundred and twenty-three children had Christmas presents to open on Christmas morning.  

The gifts were given out at the six Christmas parties organised between the family contact officers and the Barnardo’s staff from the visitor’s centre.  The Christmas parties took place in the visit room in the prison allowing the children’s parent or guardian to take part.  Gifts were also given out directly from the visitors, collected by the parent or guardian of the children.

The number of children that received gifts was down on last year’s wonderful achievement.  This was because the number of children that passed through the visitor’s centre was down on last year.   We achieved our aim, which is to ensure that every child that visited the visitors centre received Christmas presents.

We did receive some media interest the Scotsman and the BBC did an article about the gift collection.  The Justice Minister Angela Constance when she heard about the gift collection, took time out of her schedule to visit the visitors’ centre and helped with wrapping of some of the gifts. 

My thanks as always go to you.  Without your support the Edinburgh prison Christmas gift collection have stopped a long time ago.

My thanks also go to the Barnardo’s staff in the visitors’ centre Shona, Patrizia and Ann all played an important part in making it a success.

My thanks also go to the senior managers of the prison for supporting me and allowing me to organise the gift collection.

I am already looking forward to this year’s 2025 Christmas gift collection.  It will be the fortieth year in a row that the gift collection started by Rev John Murie will have taken place.  

Thank you again.

Colin