Through his ongoing work with various communities, committees and agencies across Aberdeen, things are actually happening daily. "By the strength of our common endeavour, we achieve more than we achieve alone so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true and full potential, and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are afforded and managed by the people for the people. The objective is for the individual to fulfil their potential and ambition. My role is as the enabler of this, not the controller of it, aiming not to limit that ambition or those goals, but to open up their possibility to all. This is real community, and it is not constrained by old geographical lines or monarch-style leadership."
Former Open championship winner and European Ryder cup vice captain Paul Lawrie OBE visited the work of TLC during the lead up to the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. Richard showed him around the facilities and he was astounded to hear that volunteers were using their own vehicles to move food around the city. Paul supports the work of the Trussell Trust and TLC through the provision of a van which is currently delivering food parcels all over Aberdeen South. Already notes of thanks have been flooding in from across the city. Thank you Paul!
Reminding us once again that “We can do more together.”
Pictured at Pittodrie Stadium are Richard Brooks, chairman of TLC, AFC player Ryan Hedges and Debra Christie, Community Lottery and Fundraising Officer at AFCCT
Richard Brooks has been instrumental in giving people a sporting experience that they would not ordinarily have the opportunity to have. Through a financial partnership with Aberdeen Football Club, Richard has been able to bring the action of Pittodrie Stadium to those who have suffered crisis and experienced various elements of social deprivation and social isolation.
Richard, who is the chair of Aberdeen-based charity TLC has partnered with Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust (AFCCT) to sponsor a box in the Main Stand for the second year running.
TLC will invite and organise local community partnerships so that people can enjoy a match from the comfort of the box. The money invested by Richard will also benefit AFCCT participants who will be able to use the private space.
TLC’s vision is to help people of all ages who suffer from social isolation and deprivation across the North-east of Scotland, giving them a hand up, not just a handout.
Its initiatives include homeless outreach work, running foodbanks, operating several school breakfast clubs and primary school age youth projects.
Organising volunteers to help with community projects such as school fayres and parks clean-up has played an important part in TLC touching the lives of more than 100,000 people in the North-east since it was founded by Richard and his wife Amy in 2002.
Richard said at a press conference: “We are so pleased to be working in partnership with AFCCT to sponsor this box at Pittodrie a second year. It is through true partnership that we can truly impact our city one community at a time.”
“We have made it our mission to focus our efforts back into Aberdeen, supporting communities and local people. This partnership allows us to once again bring reality to one of the TLC core values of, ‘giving people a hand up, and not just a hand out’.
“This offers an amazing experience, regenerates aspirations and gives an opportunity to those who may not otherwise have been able to attend a match in this way.”
Richard added: “We are looking forward to inviting different charities and groups to the box and hope that our partnership with AFCCT will help to emphasise the importance of making experiences such as going to a football match accessible for all.”
AFCCT operates as a charity independently of Aberdeen Football Club, but is very much a part of the foorball club. It aims to provide support and the chance to change lives for the better throughout the North-east.
The charity engages with more than 20,000 participants each year across 60 programmes and initiatives, with volunteers from the organisation delivering more than 5,000 hours of free community support in their spare time. Together with TLC they have made plans ‘to do more together than they could ever do apart.
Debra Christie, Community Lottery and Fundraising Officer at AFCCT, added: “The first year of the partnership with TLC was a huge success and we are delighted to be continuing the agreement for the new season. It enables us to give support to many of our own participants as well as other local organisations and individuals. People who have dementia, autism, mental health illness or other conditions may find it difficult to attend a football match so by offering them a quiet space in the comfort of a box they can still experience the excitement on the pitch.”
For more information, visit www.RichardBrooks.org, https://www.tlc.org.uk or https://www.afccommunitytrust.org/
It was an enormous pleasure to be invited to the Shah Mustafa Mosque by Cllr Malik BEM to receive food donations for TLC prior to the commencement of Ramadan.
True community crosses many perceived boundary lines. TLC has been doing an extraordinary work since it was founded in 2002, and it never ceases to amaze me how generous people are. My communities benefit from the generosity and good will of many organisations, not least from the faith groups. At the heart of all this is humanity’s heart cry to make this world a better place. It is at the grass roots of communities that cllrs and government officials can make a huge difference to local people.
Thank you to all those who made this happen. And thank you councillors for being in the city ‘for’ the city.
On Thursday the 22nd June 2017 I had the pleasure of sitting in a room with many community and voluntary service leaders discussing how we bring recognition to our volunteers.
One leader reminded us that Scotland has over 1 million volunteers and how cumbersome and broad a national recognition scheme may be (suggesting that the Saltire Awards for young adults has lost its integrity with so many being printed out and handed out without any recognised traceability). I’m not sure I agree with all that was said but what is needed for sure is a professional looking way of measuring, reviewing and recognising the efforts of our volunteers.
It may be lost in translation, but my points were that there should – just like in the professional world – be a way of measuring a volunteers continual development (CPD in the business world) and assess those who have achieved an outstanding contribution to the 3rd sector by making them a “chartered volunteer” recognised by having the words C.Vol after there name (in the same way I have been a C.Eng and a C.Phys in the professional world).
If the government are truly going look at a way of recognising the huge and valuable contribution of our volunteers then they could help fund this move…..a move that is sustainable. Some points, if I may:
– Need a system of measuring : whether its duration of service, or/and training received along the way – Need to make sure that if a volunteer becomes a paid employee of the 3rd sector that his/her recognition is not lost, but is adjusted (i.e. recognition of past Chartered Volunteer). Maybe PC.Vol. after their name.
This type of recognition need a HQ and a small number of employees to make this work. In other wards it would require government funding!
So what would the government achieve?
A sustained volunteer workforce that feels honoured and recognised. These are the type of people who run our food banks, who provide befriending services to the socially isolated and vulnerable. These services – run in the main by volunteers – alleviates strain on various government systems (like welfare, benefits, etc), whilst dealing with the deprivation and isolation by creating community and sign-posting to other services to benefit the individuals (i.e. drug, alcohol, abuse services).
Would this work? I think so, but does anyone really want to listen?
This week’s blog cannot conclude without mention of the horrific fire in the Grenfell Tower, West London. The press have dubbed this the “worst fire in modern British history” (Scottish Daily Express, 16.06.17). There is agony and anger in the aftershock as information comes to light to contributing factors. In times like this many will say, “Our thoughts and Prayers are with you” because there are few words that can possibly help. With many still missing and reports that those who perished could be as many as 100, I cannot add any words except the usual. My thoughts and prayers are with you – God help and bless you all! (picture from the front page of the Scotsman 16.06.17)
So wonderful to have opportunity to be out in the community today at the Kaimhill Summer Fayre. Some really hard working people come together at the school to make this happen.
Today, I pulled on my TLC T-shirt and got stuck in with the other volunteers working on the stalls, slides and the now infamous stocks. With temperatures soaring well over 20 degrees I was delighted to once again be working the stocks, where pupils have the opportunity to wet-sponge teachers & parents.
Here we have Stephen and Thomas with one of the mums, Kelly, who has avoided the stocks for 3 years running…..but not this year!
16 TLC volunteers came for the day. An absolutely incredible effort by all to help make this event happen. I really appreciated being with you, and appreciate each one of you. Well done!
What a pleasure to see the hard work pupils and teachers put into their end of year show pay-off. I have to say, the live music (drums, piano and singing) really made it a special evening. There were tears of sadness as the P7 pupils said good bye to go to High School.
Great production. Well done Broomhill Primary! Please let us come again.
I was delighted to hear about the goings-on on the grounds of the fantastic and pretty modern Kaimhill School. Having helped out at a number of their Summer School Fayres, I often wondered if it was utilised in the evenings and weekends for other events (given the facilities also include a state of the art all weather football pitch).
Myself and my wife Amy joined Cllr Douglas Lumsden as the new faces around the table at the latest HALLA (Harlaw Area Lifelong Learning Association) committee meeting. As the various activities unfolded and the vision was imparted, we sat with an element of anticipation and excitement as to how this would unfold.
Garthdee appears to be on the edge of something quite extraordinary. Inchgarth Community Centre, just a couple of streets away is light years ahead of many community centres and were recently awarded – along with the Aberdeen’s Seafarers centre and Dennis Law Sport – the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. They also have plans to expand and extend their facility in the near future.
The Kaimhill school facility has the potential to compliment what is happening in Inchgarth CC, and no doubt some future conversation will be had to see what can be done. Lets not forget that we also have the Ruthrieston Community Centre, the Ski Centre, and Robert Gordon’s University as part of the Garthdee community.
Richard Brooks, a keen Aberdeen FC supporter, has lived in Aberdeen for over 20 years, and partners with various charities and organisations to meet the demands of social deprivation, and initiate community projects to give a hand-up to those who find themselves socially and/or economically deprived and isolated.
Richard has been married for more than 20 years and has three children. He is also:
an ABERDEEN CITY BURGESS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE for TLC Social Action Charity
GENERAL COUNCIL BOARD MEMBER Aberdeen University
GENERAL BOARD MEMBER Harlaw Lifelong Learning Association (HALLA)
ADVISOR TO THE ENERGY SECTOR and ENGINEERING TECHNICAL AUTHORITY
He is using what little influence he has, and working hard with other likeminded people, to give those in need a hand-up, and not just a hand-out.
It was an enormous pleasure to be invited to the Shah Mustafa Mosque by Cllr Malik BEM to receive food donations for TLC prior to the commencement of Ramadan. 
(picture from the front page of the Scotsman 16.06.17) 
Today, I pulled on my TLC T-shirt and got stuck in with the other volunteers working on the stalls, slides and the now infamous stocks. With temperatures soaring well over 20 degrees I was delighted to once again be working the stocks, where pupils have the opportunity to wet-sponge teachers & parents. 
Here we have Stephen and Thomas with one of the mums, Kelly, who has avoided the stocks for 3 years running…..but not this year!
