£178,000 is just a
start, say Rotarians
By Jackie Bytheway
OUR campaign to build Scotland’s second children’s hospice has received a massive boost, thanks to Scotland’s 190 Rotary clubs.
 Last week they handed over a cheque for an astonishing £178,000 towards the building and running costs of Robin House on the banks of Loch Lomond.
Grateful
Three leading Rotarians, all called Ian, handed over the money to delighted and grateful representatives of CHAS — with the promise of even more to come.
|
 Delighted with the bumper cheque are, from left, Ian Geddes, Rotary District Governor for Scotland East, Pippa Robeson, CHAS fund-raising manager for South-East Scotland, Ian Campbell, Rotary District Governor for Scotland South-West, Victoria Cartwright, CHAS fund-raiser for North-West Scotland, Margaret Robertson, head of care for Robin House, Iain Young, Rotary District Governor for Scotland North, and Nicki Brodie, CHAS fund-raiser for East Scotland.
|
Rotary in Scotland is split into three districts — North, South-West and East. Their fund-raising drive is part of a UK-wide campaign in which they raised £850,000 for the Association of Children’s Hospices.
But every penny raised in Scotland stays in Scotland, vowed Ian Campbell — district governor for Scotland South-West.
Ian explained that the clubs throughout Scotland held events such as sportsman’s dinners, barbecues, sponsored walks, raffles, golf days, black tie balls, concerts, half-marathons, auctions and lunches.
Among the notable contributors was Alloa Rotary Club, which raised more than
£4500 by raffling a signed limited edition artist’s proof of Jack Vettriano’s painting
Cafe Days to the other clubs.
The largest individual sum came from Claverhouse in Dundee. They raised more than
£14,000 by “tramping the Tay” — Rotarians walked 100 miles over five days from the source of the Tay to Dundee docks.
Cow pats
Lockerbie Rotary Club even let a cow loose in a field and raised money by asking people to guess where it would drop its first cow pat!
All three Ians are confident they will pass their target of £200,000 in the near future.
“We’ll still actively raise funds for CHAS and the money will keep coming in,” vowed Ian Campbell.
Ian Geddes, district governor for Scotland East, explained, “We still have money to come to us from various fund-raising events. We’ll easily reach the target we set last summer.”
Iain Young, district governor for Scotland North, said, “Everybody had great fun raising the money and even the Inner Wheel got involved in the appeal.”
Ian Geddes added, “This has raised the profile of Rotary and CHAS throughout Scotland and we have raised so much money.”
Thrilled
Pippa Robeson, CHAS fund-raising manager for South East Scotland, said, “What’s so nice is the money has not been raised by doing anything complicated or difficult. It’s what Rotary are used to doing in their own communities, and it works.
“We’re thrilled with what they’ve achieved. Through Rotary, we get to their communities and families on a local level. It’s amazing how the support has spread from such a simple start.”
When the three Rotarians and the four CHAS members met at Robin House to hand over the cheque, it was clear building work on the new hospice is coming on in leaps and bounds.
Margaret Robertson, head of care for Robin House, said she was thrilled.
“It really is amazing the work they have done,” she said. “We will be on track for opening after Easter.”
It’s anticipated that Robin House will house eight beds — two of which will be used for emergency care. A team of 27 will care for the children and there will be an army of volunteers carrying out essential tasks to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the hospice.
Thanks to the work done by Scotland’s Rotary clubs, that work remains on track.
Next story
|
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
|
