Beneficiary Spotlight: River Kids, West Lothian
On a bleak January day, Claire and Julie from the team visited River Kids in West Lothian. They are a charity that enables positive change for disadvantaged children and their families, and their work is anything but bleak.
River Kids Campaigns
Toys: They run the West Lothian Toy Appeal all year round to ensure no child goes without on their birthday or at Christmas.
They received 3394 referrals for Christmas 2025, and every child got a bag of toys to open on the day.
Clothes: People can be referred to a 7-day essential pack, for example, if they have had to flee from domestic violence.
7 tops, 7 pairs of trousers, jumpers, PJs, etc. A value of £40 can be put on this pack, or if it were all new, £157.
Beds: £200 funds a new bed for a family in need.
Nutrition: They run health food programmes in 10 schools, all in areas of multiple deprivation.
Here is an example. £3,000 of funding supports one local primary school in providing each child with a health snack every day during their ‘snack and chat’ session. This has been proven to have a positive impact on attendance and attainment.
Extra Curricular Activities: Many families can hit a point where they cannot send their children to activities such as football or Brownies. Activities like this provide a valuable opportunity for children to develop new skills, and they can often raise aspirations and broaden horizons.
£300 a year can pay for a child’s extracurricular activities.
Funding for Schools Camps: They fund children's places for school camps on an application basis and also fund some outdoor education for schools. Both can be life-changing; some children have never left the county, and outdoor education has been proven to improve attainment.
Items you can donate:
- Clothes
- Toys
- Essential household items
- Dining sets
- Bedding
We left the meeting feeling energised and inspired. River Kids demonstrates an incredible example of Community Wealth Building. This insight made it clear that in West Lothian, they don’t just talk about solidarity, they live it, and it is heartening to see people step up for one another in ways that genuinely change lives.
They have two live requests for support on our portal: