Pictured above: Lesley Patrick, Team Manager from The Cottage Family Centre with Billy Reid, Housekeeping Supervisor and Geoff Little, Park General Manager from Abbeyford Leisure

The Cottage Family Centre charity is appealing for good quality bedding, carpets and flooring after receiving a rise in requests for help as energy and food costs continue to soar. It’s all part of their Big Hoose Fife and Houses to Homes projects which hopes to benefit at least 15,000 Fife families.

Pauline Buchan, manager at the Cottage said: "Many of the houses we work in don't have carpets in every room, they don't have wallpaper, paint, or even a cooker, and might not be able to replace bedding, a bed or a mattress.

“Only by working together across all sectors will we be able to raise living standards, empower families, make them feel seen, heard and valued which will in turn improve their health, wellbeing and overall quality of life in the long term.”

Abbeyford Leisure’s Geoff Little, Park General Manager at St Andrews Holiday Park said:

When we heard about the Big Hoose Fife initiative we were keen to help. We regularly update our holiday home inventory and as the cost of living crisis continues, we hope that our household donations will go some way to help those in most need across the Kingdom.”

Former prime minister Gordon Brown, who is patron of the Cottage, said: "We're now not just a food bank, but we're a bedding bank, we're a baby bank, we're a children's clothing bank and that's really the shape of things to come."

The Cottage Family Centre was originally developed by a group of local parents and established in 1987. Its purpose is to provide a family centre, serving Kirkcaldy which caters for the needs of children aged 0-16 years and their families.

The Cottage Family Centre adopts a community development approach that puts the needs and aspirations of families and children at the centre of its service development and delivery, and encourages their participation in the management and development of the Centre.