Here at Thistle Help, our priority is to help those with mobility challenges, and we are proud to serve those in need across Ayrshire.
We’re very proud of the numerous charity partnerships that we have, with which we help with fundraising and referrals. We have worked alongside many organisations, covering a wide range of important causes. Outlined below are all of the charities Thistle Help partners with.
SSAFA
SSAFA has been supporting serving personnel, veterans, and their families since the 1880s. They are still going strong in 2026 and hold the status of the oldest tri-service Armed Forces charity in the whole UK.
Over 2,000 trained volunteers help them function from day to day by offering practical, emotional, and financial help to people who have served the country and need support.
For anyone reading who has served in the British military and is in need of resources and assistance, SSAFA are a fantastic charity to turn to.
MS Society
There are over 150,000 people in the UK who live with multiple sclerosis, and many of them are helped by the MS Society, founded in 1953. Funding research, running support services, and campaigning for better care are some of the great things they do. Their Stop MS Appeal recently reached its £100 million target, which has helped get new treatments into late-stage trials for every type of MS. They are also there for families, offering information and community support alongside their research work.
There are Health and Wellbeing Grants for people with MS which can help go towards items that will have a significant positive impact on your health and wellbeing. This includes items like mobility scooters, home adaptations and equipment.
Carers Grants for people who care for someone with MS help support carers to take a break or to access personal development, including leisure activities and short training courses. If you have MS, or if you care for someone with MS, and are interested in applying for a grant you can email Ayrshire@mssociety.org.uk
Hansel
Based in Ayrshire, Hansel helps people with additional support needs and has been doing so since 1963. Their excellent team of 400+ pride themselves on providing supported living, residential care, respite breaks, and employment opportunities in all four corners of the region.
They are currently supporting over 600 people and share a very similar value to our own; everyone deserves the freedom to live happily.
Ayrshire Hospice
Ayrshire Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people across Ayrshire and Arran who are living with a life-shortening illness, including cancer, heart and respiratory disease, neurological conditions and other complex illnesses.
Care is provided wherever it is needed, including in people’s own homes, care homes, hospitals, the Hospice’s In-Patient Unit and through community-based services such as the Living Well programme. The Hospice supports people to live as well as possible for as long as possible, while also providing care and support at the end of life.
Family members, carers and loved ones are supported throughout a person’s illness and into bereavement.
There is no charge to patients or families for the care they receive, and around 60% of the funding needed to deliver these services comes from the generosity of supporters, businesses and communities across Ayrshire and Arran and beyond.
Whiteleys Retreat
Based on the west coast of Ayrshire, Whiteleys Retreat provides free respite breaks and extended support to children, young people and their families with cancer or life limiting illness.
The retreat boasts 32 acres of private land, offering families the opportunity for recreation, reflection, relaxation, relief and building resilience. Most importantly, spending time together.
Coalfield Community Transport
Running since 2002, Coalfield Community Transport offer more affordable and accessible transport for locals in East Ayrshire; most of which are fully wheelchair accessible.
This service helps people get to their hospital appointments and go grocery shopping. It fills a crucial gap for those who have challenges getting around.
Irvine & Troon Cancer Care
Irvine & Troon Cancer Care has provided free transport to cancer patients since 1987.
Wonderful volunteer drivers collect patients from their homes, take them to hospitals and clinics across Ayrshire, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, and wait for them to finish treatment and take them home.
Every penny they raise goes back into the service, and they deliver around 40 trips a week, helping people who are unwell, elderly, or living rurally. That support goes a long way for so many.
Finding Your Feet
Finding Your Feet is Scotland’s only nationwide charity supporting amputees, those born without limbs, and their families, founded by Cor Hutton MBE after she lost her hands and feet to sepsis. They provide peer support, counselling, well-being services and 130+ clubs and activities across 12 regions throughout Scotland. They understand that life after limb loss involves far more than physical recovery; Isolation and changes to emotional and mental well-being can be just as challenging. From Ampu-Teas, where people talk openly over a cuppa with others who truly understand, to swimming, bowling, yoga and gym, their community reduces isolation and supports people to rebuild emotionally, mentally and physically at any stage of their journey.
Keen to Find Out More About Our Charitable Partnerships?
Thistle Help are pleased to be partners with so many charities, many of which help those in need in Ayrshire, just as we do.
If you would like to know more about how our partnerships with these charities work, feel free to get in touch.
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