At Smile Scotland we are passionate about supporting people into employment that find that challenging to do on their own. We've been doing this really successfully since 2014, supporting over 1500 people!

Now, we need a bit of support from you. Here's why....

Trust, respect, team work, confidence building and doing it at the clients pace has been at the heart of what we do. We do all this in a hands on 'shoulder to shoulder' way with a small team of trustees, volunteers and staff. In our own supportive way everyone is known as a volunteer (even the staff give extra time to us as volunteers) so our clients feel like part of the Smile family.

What this looks like to customers in Aberdeen is a Shop and Warehouse that sells pre-loved furniture, some of it is modern, then there's vintage and antiques, and you'll find the most interesting selection of quirky curios. A fine selection of limited edition Jack Vettriano prints and Frenchic paint compliment our items. All with a great delivery and collection service.

In Oyne, Aberdeenshire this looks like a modern Auction House , and Antiques and Heirlooms shop, set in a beautifully kept garden. With all the fun and excitement of a live auction we sell a wide variety of household furniture, antiques and art, garden ware, anything and everything you'll ever need in your shed or garage, even an occasional car or motorbike. Again we offer a great delivery and collection service here too.

And our clients are involved in EVERY part of the process. As well as this, in the background, they get any support and training that they need. They stay as long as they need to, this has been as little as 3 months, and as long as over 4 years. We don't mind where they live, how old they are (having left school), or why they need a bit of extra support. So every individual gets an experience suited to their needs. This means that we don't often fit the criteria for funding.

Did you know?

Less than 5% of what we sell is donated to us. So, we buy over 95% of the goods on sale, and at the auction house we are mainly selling on behalf of customers.

During lockdown we had to close the premises in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. That's no surprise! But we didn't stop working with our most vulnerable clients. We bought and sold bits and pieces on Facebook, offering deliveries to customers doors even just for a tin of paint. It gave our clients a reason to get out of bed, a routine, a sense of achievement that they'd helped someone stuck at home. For those who weren't able to come to us, we'd have a call or a surprise parcel at their door.

But all this came at a cost, it was tens of thousands of pounds, and don't get us wrong, it was worth every penny!

So, now we need a bit of support from you.....to keep us going and keep us mobile. To keep us offering you a great service, and keep our clients having a worthwhile experience that leads to employment, we need to keep our largest van. We don't want to have to sell it to keep us open and operating.

Thank you for JustGiving and being part of the Smile Family.