Fife Gingerbread

The Rotary Club of West Fife welcomed Kirsty Mackerracher, Project Coordinator for Fundraising and Appeals at Fife Gingerbread, who gave an interesting presentation about the charity's work supporting lone parents and families across Fife.

Fife Gingerbread's mission is straightforward but ambitious: to create better todays and brighter tomorrows, moving families from simply surviving to genuinely thriving. At the heart of everything the organisation does is a commitment to eradicating child poverty - a pressing need given that one in four children in Fife currently lives in poverty, a rate that stands out as particularly high even by Scottish standards.

The charity works with families facing complex and overlapping challenges - financial hardship, poor mental health, trauma, domestic abuse, and isolation. Many of the lone parents they support are young, new to an area, and without a family network to fall back on. Fife Gingerbread's approach is to step in early, before situations reach crisis point, offering what Kirsty described as the support of a friendly "auntie" - non-judgmental, individual, and entirely tailored to each family's needs.

Services span early years support for families with children under eight, employability programmes, one-to-one child maintenance guidance, a volunteer programme, and a partnership with Shelter Scotland called Team Around the Home, which helps families navigate the housing system and move from temporary into permanent accommodation.

A key strand of Fife Gingerbread's work is advocating for employers to adopt more flexible working practices, recognising that lone parents represent a talented and often overlooked workforce that rigid 9-to-5 structures can exclude.

Kirsty paid particular tribute to the Rotary Club's contribution to the Heat and Eat appeal, one of the charity's annual Christmas campaigns. Members had assembled shoeboxes for families in need, and Kirsty expressed warm thanks for the thought and care that had gone into them. The appeal raises funds for heating and food costs, and also provides festive packages - including toys, dry food supplies, fuel top-up vouchers, and supermarket vouchers - for identified families whose children might otherwise wake up on Christmas morning with nothing. Kirsty noted that demand for crisis support of this kind is now spreading well beyond the Christmas period, with support workers applying for funds on behalf of families earlier and earlier in the year.

The charity's Day to Play project also gives children access to experiences that many take for granted trips to the seaside, museum visits, even a first train journey, helping them build lasting memories and a sense of possibility.

Looking ahead, Fife Gingerbread has secured new funding to expand its parental employment programme into West Fife, with seven new staff members currently being recruited. The charity is also working to influence housing and employment policy at a broader level, recognising that the lessons learned in Fife have relevance across Scotland.

The club’s vote of thanks was given by Past President Alan Farquharson who said he was grateful to Kirsty for such an informative and thought-provoking address, and that the club is proud to play a small part in supporting Fife Gingerbread's vital work. 

Notes of SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING – 10th March 2026

President Elect Mark Todd conducted the meeting reporting that with 16 members and no visitors present, a Ballot was held to approve DGNN candidacy. The Resignation of our Club President and there were uncontested nominations for election as Club officers. Members present unanimously agreed and confirmed the following:

1. Unanimously approved that member Brian Mitchell take up the post DGNN (District Governor Nominee Designate) 2025/26 and members present wished him well in this venture.

2. The resignation was reluctantly accepted of President Robert North. Mark Todd to send letter to District Governor Graham Leith. As the Charitable Trust requires three Trustees’ signatures these signatures may have to be amended to comply.

3. Election of  Margaret Nethery as President Elect (Vice President) for year 2026/27.

4. Election of Neil Spriddle as Secretary for year 2026/27.

5. Election of Mark Todd as President for remainder of year 2025/26. Chain of Office to be handed over to Mark Todd from Robert North.

6. Election of Margaret Nethery as President Elect (Vice President) for remainder of year 2025/26.

7. Mark Todd and Margaret Nethery as the two voting delegates for Rotary Conferences.  

M Carmichael
Club Secretary                                                                                          10th March 2026