A blind singer, musician and composer celebrated his 90th birthday by drumming up £1000 for North East Sensory Services (NESS) charity.
Andy Dey, with the help of family and friends, recorded two albums, initially as an unusual gift for Christmas presents last year. However, after word of mouth, the albums proved very popular and people offered to donate money for a copy of the CD, totaling £1000 to date.
Andy, who has been registered blind since he was 40 years old, decided to donate the money he raised to NESS to help it continue to support visually and hearing impaired people in Moray. To celebrate his success and his 90th birthday, Andy, who now resides in Banff Care Home, got together with friends and family at the Fife Lodge Hotel in Banff on Saturday (Aug 15) for a tea party and music session. Bruce Cruickshank, who is the fundraising assistant for NESS, attended the event and received the cheque on behalf of the charity.
Anne Coull, who is Andy’s niece, said he deserved recognition for all the good work he has done.
She said: “Andy is forever singing or playing at the local church or at coffee mornings, or in his evenings, so it was lovely to all come together and celebrate his achievement. We are so proud that he has managed to raise £1000 for such a worthy charity as NESS, which is a service that he himself uses.
“It was a great day, there was around 55 people who attended, a mix of family and friends and members of the MacduffReel and Strathspey society too. Andy was delighted that Bruce Cruickshank from NESS came along to receive the cheque.
“Everyone joked that you had to have a talent to come along! It was a great day, with lots of music and laughter. Andy turned 90 in January, but unfortunately wasn’t well, so we thought this was a great opportunity to celebrate his 90th year and show appreciation for what he does.”
NESS supports people with serious sight or hearing loss to overcome practical and emotional challenges and achieve independence across Moray, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross.