Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline has made a donation to Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) to support the launch of the charity’s new 10-year strategy, which pledges that no child should face hospital alone.
The charity works to help seriously ill children and their families facing potentially life-changing hospital visits. In partnership with NHS Lothian, ECHC strives to make these visits as positive as possible.
As part of Amazon’s donation, over 600 ‘buddy bears’ worth more than £1,500 have been provided to ECHC. The bears will form an important part of the charity’s fundraising campaign, encouraging families, supporters, and members of the public to sign up to make the pledge that no child should face hospital alone. In return, those who sign up will receive a teddy bear symbolising comfort and companionship for children in hospital.
Amazon in Dunfermline has a longstanding relationship with ECHC, having supported the charity for over three years through donations and volunteering. This donation follows a contribution of push cars worth £3,000 made to the charity in 2024 which are now used daily by young patients.
Speaking on the donation, Jamie Strain, General Manager at Amazon in Dunfermline, said:
“We’re proud to continue our support for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity. The work its staff does to make children feel safe, supported, and cared for is inspiring. It means a lot to us that these buddy bears will bring comfort and joy to young patients and their families during their hospital stays.”
Drew Cuthbertson, an employee from Amazon in Dunfermline who helped coordinate the donation, added:
“It feels great to know that the buddy bears we’ve donated will help brighten a child’s day in hospital. I’m proud to work for a company that consistently gives back to our community and supports such important causes.”
Kate Dixon, Corporate Partnerships Lead at Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said:
“We are incredibly grateful for Amazon’s donation of buddy bears. Their continued support over the years has helped us provide comfort and joy to countless children in hospital. With the help of wonderful supporters like Amazon, we can make loneliness and fear in hospital a thing of the past, and give children the bright, positive experience they deserve.”
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Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded The Big House Multibank in Fife with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. The Multibank network has now donated more than 12 million surplus goods to over 800,000 families across Scotland, Wales, Greater Manchester, London, Tees Valley and Birmingham. This year, the Multibank will send 1 million orders to families across the UK.
Amazon has supported more than one million students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.
Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.
