Mogwai musician Barry Burns has launched a star-studded fundraiser for his daughter’s Glasgow primary school amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The parent council for Garnetbank Primary School, which also includes artist Karla Black, have pooled their contacts to host a virtual silent auction with donations from celebrities like Alan Cumming, Frankie Boyle, and Sam Heughan.
Other donations have been made from artists like France-Lise McGurn and bands Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand and Biffy Clyro.
READ MORE: TikTok down: Why is TikTok not working?
It is understood that Garnetbank Primary is attended by a high number of pupils living below the poverty line and in temporary accommodation who are in need of additional support and supplies.
The goal of the auction is to help the school with essential supplies and creative materials.
Barry said: “My wife and I live near the school and our daughter is a pupil there.
“We’ve seen first-hand how hard the educators have worked to support the student body over the last few years through multiple crises with Covid and now the cost-of-living crisis.
“It’s been relentless and it’s a huge amount of added pressure on schools and educators without adequate support from the state.
“The school and parent council worked tirelessly and continually to raise funds, but we realised it was time to change the approach and that a bigger idea was needed.
“It simply wasn't possible to raise enough to cover what the school needs to give all of the children fully rounded education complete with creativity, safety and emotional support.”
READ MORE: Filming of Dougray Scott's series to block Glasgow parking on Fireworks Night
Parents from the school called everyone they knew to bring in donations for the auction which includes listings like a day at the Time Capsule in Coatbridge with Frankie Boyle or virtual cocktails with Alan Cumming.
Barry said: “It’s been incredible to have such a positive response, but everyone understands the need and wants to help.
“The really sad part is that this is not an isolated case.
“This is happening at schools across Glasgow and beyond. Families all over are struggling to afford the basics.
“I wish we could help them all because nothing is more important than making sure that our kids are warm and fed and have what they need.
“It’s heartbreaking but for a lot of kids schools have become the sole source of these things and sadly it’s fallen on the wider community to help.
“Our school is lucky to have so many brilliant connections, but it shouldn’t come down to luck to get support.”
Linda Reed, head teacher at Garnetbank Primary, said: "The funds our parent volunteers raise will go a long way toward enriching our pupils' overall learning experience and for that, we are hugely grateful."
The virtual silent auction will take place over 48 hours from 6pm on Thursday, November 10 to 6pm on Saturday, November 12, with items starting at £10.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here