I know we say that there are no hidden costs when staying at Glencoldon Cottage; and, indeed, there aren’t any cash costs, but we thought none of our guests would mind if we offered them the opportunity to be part of an initiative to safeguard the Cairngorms, as part of global efforts to reverse the climate and ecological emergencies. Given the difficult few years everyone will have had, please do not feel any obligation to contribute.
Protecting Our Wild Places
As we’re all getting wiser about the very real threats facing our climate, and living systems and species, we’re increasingly realising that there are hidden “costs” to almost everything we do (eg. carbon emissions, impacts on ecosystems). However, thankfully, we are also getting wiser that protecting and regenerating our wild places is a win-win-win endeavour!
- We win because this also protects the extraordinary biodiversity that is the foundation of our overlooked life support systems (systems that create the soil, cycle water, trade in nutrients, make weather, build atmosphere and, unseen, deliver the air we breathe and the food we eat.)
- We win because these wild places are natural carbon “sinks”, so they store vast quantities of carbon, protecting against climate disruption (especially some prevalent habitats in the Highlands, like peatland)
- We win as we wake up to the fact that our own human wellbeing is linked to living as part of the natural world, not constantly fighting against it. The wellbeing benefits of immersing in nature and culture are increasingly being understood. We hope you’ve experienced some of this whilst in the National Park!
So that we can all see our contributions (and to keep me honest! Or, at least, less likely to forget to make the matching donation against yours!), this is an open webpage, where, not only can you see your contribution (anonymised if you prefer), but the organisation we are currently fundraisers for, the Cairngorms Trust, can also see. So, they will know exactly how much to expect from us every quarter!
It means you can feel reassured that any contribution is 100% going towards the practical action needed on the ground to safeguard the Cairngorms (or is that 200% with our match funds!).
How To Get Involved
This is a new initiative starting in May 2021, so we’re not totally sure how to make it as straightforward as possible for guests to get involved if they wish. But, we think it is easiest for guests if we ask them if they would consider making a contribution when we are due to pay back the deposit following a stay (avoids guests having to log in somewhere, use payment cards, etc.).
Your generosity in helping to safeguard this special place for our younger and future generations would be so much appreciated, and contributions are highlighted below. Please feel free to get back to us with any feedback or comment, or suggestions how this might work better, and thanks very much for considering our request.
Contributions – So Far!
| When | Who | How Much (£) | Details |
| May-21 | Dallas Family, Perthshire | £10 | Thanks so much for getting the ball rolling for 2021! |
| May-21 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching contribution |
| Jun-21 | Allan-B Family, Edinburgh | £10 | So pleased you want to help keep the ball rolling – much appreciated! |
| Jun-21 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching contribution |
| Jul-21 | Corbett Family, Falkirk | £20 | Brilliant! Thanks for your generosity! |
| Jul-21 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching contribution |
| Jul-21 | Law Family, Edinburgh | £20 | Thanks so much! Together we break the £100 barrier! |
| Jul-21 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching contribution |
| Aug-21 | Smyth Family, Bedford | £20 | Fantastic! So much appreciated. |
| Aug-21 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching contribution |
| Sep-21 | Isla + friends, Edinburgh | £50 | Amazing contribution! Thanks so much for your support! |
| Sep-21 | Glencoldon | £50 | Our matching contribution |
| Oct-21 | The Williamsons, Argyll | £10 | Thank you! Just made our largest quarterly payout so far! |
| Oct-21 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching contribution |
| Oct-21 | The Gray family, East Lothian | £10 | Thanks! Pushes us through the £300 mark! |
| Oct-21 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching contribution |
| Mar-22 | The Potts, Yeovil | £15 | After quiet couple of months, thanks for getting us rolling again! |
| Mar-22 | Glencoldon | £15 | Our matching contribution |
| Apr-22 | Anne + Kevin | £20 | Thanks again for your contribution! |
| Apr-22 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching |
| May-22 | Dawn – the wildlife enthusiasts! | £50 | A record generous contribution, thanks very much! All donations will make such a difference in these difficult times! |
| May-22 | Glencoldon | £50 | Our matching |
| Jun-22 | The Young family, Dorset | £20 | A great start to YEAR 2! Thanks so much for your help! |
| Jun-22 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching |
| Jun-22 | Alan and Daina | £100 | Incredible, record breaking performance from 2 of our fantastic regulars!!!! So grateful for this and all contributions! |
| Jun-22 | Glencoldon | £100 | Our matching. Thank you so much to every single contributor prepared to put up cash after all the expenses of their holiday! Year 1 hugely beyond our expectations of success! I think we might continue! |
| Sept-22 | Brian and Catherine | £25 | Thanks for your great contribution + your carbon savings from your electric car using our new EV charging! |
| Sept-22 | Glencoldon | £25 | Our matching |
| Oct-22 | Gordon, Livingston | £10 | All donations even more appreciated in these tougher economic times, thanks! |
| Oct-22 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
| Nov-22 | Forde, London | £20 | Thanks so much for keeping this rolling over these harder times! |
| Nov-22 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching! |
Apr-23 | Currie, Aberdeen | £10 | Thanks for getting us rolling again after a wee lull in contributions over recent cost of living pressures! All donations so much appreciated |
| Apr-23 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
| Jun-23 | Ronaldson family, Paisley | £131.56 | What a fantastic contribution at a time when the climate and environment can do with it most! Takes us through the £1000!!! |
| Jun-23 | Glencoldon | £131.56 | Our matching! So grateful to our guests that have made this such a success – I think we all get the feelgood from giving something back and helping boost the resilience of the Cairngorms and it’s nature! |
| Aug-23 | Louise + family | £10 | Thanks very much for your very kind donation. We hear there are lots of great projects in Cairngorms Trust pipeline, so great to keep the contributions flowing! |
| Aug-23 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
| Oct-23 | Morten + friends | £25 | More difficult to keep the contributions flowing over the quieter months, so thanks so much for your support! |
| Oct-23 | Glencoldon | £25 | Our matching! |
| Oct-23 | Atkinson Family, Inverclyde | £10 | Big thank you to the nature lovers for keeping the contributions flowing – the wildlife appreciates it too! |
| Oct-23 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
| Dec-23 | Green/Sumner family, Aus/Scot | £10 | Thanks very much! Appreciate your Christmas present for our planet! |
| Dec-23 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
| Jun-24 | The Young Family, Dorchester | £20 | Thanks very much for your kind contribution after a wee break in the action! |
| Jun-24 | Glencoldon | £20 | Our matching! |
| Jun-24 | Mackinnon family, East Lothian | £50 | Taking advantage of our Greener Travel benefits and contributing to % for Planet – very much appreciated! |
| Jun-24 | Glencoldon | £50 | Our matching! |
| July-24 | Ronaldson Family, Paisley | £100 | Thank you, a fantastically generous donation to the great cause of the Cairngorms! |
| July-24 | Glencoldon | £100 | Our matching! |
| Aug-24 | The Finnemore Family, Newcastle | £100 | Wow! Another amazingly generous donation! Will make a huge difference! |
| Aug-24 | Glencoldon | £100 | Our matching! |
| Sept-24 | The Marshall Family, Edinburgh | £100 | What a run of very very kind contributions!! Way beyond our expectations that guests would give all their deposits – fantastic for the area!! |
| Sept-24 | Glencoldon | £100 | Our matching! |
| Oct-24 | Guests from Germany | £40 | Thank you so much for taking the total raised by our amazing guests through the £2000 barrier! A huge thanks to everyone!! |
| Oct-24 | Glencoldon | £40 | Our matching! |
| Oct-24 | The King Family, Edinburgh | £10 | Thank you very much for your contribution! Helping keep our nature and community support orgs funded feels more important than ever! |
| Oct-24 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
| Oct-24 | The Moffat Family, Buckingham | £10 | Your donation to the Trust, as well as your other gifts to the cottage, are very much appreciated – thank you! |
| Oct-24 | Glencoldon | £10 | Our matching! |
RUNNING TOTAL | £2073.12 (from May 2021) |
