The Real Mary King’s Close has partnered with charity Cash for Kids to help improve the lives of children in Scotland. The Edinburgh attraction features a number of ghostly stories, including that of the young girl Annie and her lost doll. This story is the main reason why the attraction has chosen to support Cash for Kids in 2020.
In the 1990s, a Japanese psychic visited The Real Mary King’s Close and reported feeling the presence of a child’s unhappy ghost, whom she pacified with a real toy doll. Since then, visitors to the Close have brought hundreds of gifts for Annie, mainly toys, sweets, letters, children’s jewelry, and money.
Whilst the attraction has temporarily closed as part of the preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19, prior to closing their doors the team at The Real Mary King’s Close presented a cheque for £2,000 to the Cash for Kids charity this week.
Paul Nixon, General Manager of The Real King Mary King’s Close said, “We’re delighted to be working with Cash for Kids this year, a charity benefiting children in and around Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk. We’ve an abundance of fascinating stories that relate to the very people who lived and walked these streets, most notably the story of the child Annie, and it felt very fitting to choose Cash for Kids, a charity we can not only fund raise for, but also engage with on a deeper level.
“Being able to present an initial sum of money at the beginning of a new campaign has been extremely joyful, and we know it will be used to help children in need right now during this challenging time.”
The partnership runs for one year from March 2020. The Real Mary King’s Close is part of a group of eight attractions run by tourism specialists Continuum Attractions, whose commitment is to create engaging experiences with purpose for visitors to enjoy. Charity partnerships have been a core part of the organisation for over ten years, with the group raising over £100,000 during that time. The driving vision for these partnerships is to create people-focused, interactive opportunities that bring staff teams together to have a positive impact on society.
Ian Robertson, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Cash for Kids said, “What an amazing way to start the new campaign, a donation of this size is fantastic. We’re so pleased to have The Real Mary King’s Close on board as a charity partner, and the positive feedback so far has been great. Our aim is to respond to the needs of children, and this is really important time to work together, as we all feel the impact of the current climate. We’re definitely looking forward to developing this relationship over the year ahead.”
To find out more information and support the campaign online, please visit the website.
