The donation to St. Mary’s Primary will ensure that all children at the school have a gift this Christmas.

Teachers at St. Mary’s Primary approached Cruden, who are delivering the new affordable housing Locks View development on behalf of Maryhill Housing, to ask for their help in buying the books for the children.

Through their efforts, Cruden employees were able to source all the books with the help of Maryhill Housing, and last week Cruden staff members visited the school to deliver the books in person.

Ashley Buchanan, clerical assistant at St. Mary’s Primary School, said: “The staff of St Mary’s are so grateful to Cruden for providing these books to ensure all of our children have a gift this Christmas. We know how challenging a time the past year has been for our families, and this kind donation will be greatly received.”

Bryony Willett, chief executive of Maryhill Housing, said: “We hope that the children of St. Mary’s Primary School enjoy these books this Christmas and that they bring a smile to their faces.  We are delighted to be working alongside Cruden to not only provide much-needed affordable homes but to also give back to the people in our communities.  We will continue to maximise the community benefits which we can deliver in order to enhance and support our local areas and those living in them.”

Gordon Lee, director of Cruden Building West, said: “It is very fitting that ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ is a book about resilience given the disruption to education that children across Scotland have faced during the pandemic. The teachers at St Mary’s Primary School thought that this would be a beneficial read for the children, and we are delighted to be able to give something back to the local school this festive season as we continue to work towards delivering more affordable housing in conjunction with Maryhill Housing.”