A magical Christmas experience at Dean Castle has helped to raise more than £6,000 for Cash for Kids West Scotland. 

GC Live, a new major events organiser, raised an impressive £6,472 for the charity during their Starry Nights Christmas experience at Dean Castle near Kilmarnock.

The event which received great reviews and was visited by an impressive number of guests during December last year. 

Rebecca Campbell is the Cash for Kids senior corporate fundraiser for the West of Scotland.

She said: “West FM Cash for Kids were delighted to partner with GC Live's Starry Nights at Dean Castle throughout December. 

“An incredible £6,472 was raised and donated to Cash for Kids. The funds raised allowed CFK to support local disadvantaged children across Ayrshire to have a better Christmas.

"Child poverty within Ayrshire is at its highest and through the support of partners like GC Live and our local communities, we’re able to ensure disadvantaged children receive food and activities throughout the school holidays.”

Now the largest gift appeal in the UK, Mission Christmas helps to ensure that every child wakes up to a visit from Santa as presents are delivered to hundreds of thousands of children who would otherwise go without, and this year’s extra support from GC Live and Starry Nights contributed to supporting an additional 4,925 children directly in Ayrshire.

Geoff Crow, director of GC Live, said: “We are delighted with the amount we were able to raise in support of Cash for Kids West Scotland.

"The incredible response we received from the public to our brand-new Starry Nights didn’t just reward our team’s immense effort and dedication, but also allowed us to donate a sizable sum to the charity, which helped support local kids who need presents the most at Christmas time."

Starry Nights, which ran between December 8 and 23, 2023, welcomed guests from all over Scotland and beyond.

The Christmas experience is expected to return next year, for a highly anticipated second edition.