Kind-hearted Rotarians across the North-east of Scotland have raised more than £32,000 for local charities with their annual car raffle.
The annual draw, organised by Aberdeen & North-east Rotary Clubs, revealed local man Bob Farthing as the winner at the live draw on Christmas Eve. The winning ticket was selected at random by special guest Santa Claus after finishing a busy shift in his workshop in Aberdeen’s Bon Accord shopping centre.
Mr Farthing won a Suzuki Swift provided by C & M McDonald Suzuki, Kintore, which he collected on Saturday January 18.
Carol McDonald from C & M McDonald said: “We have been involved in the raffle for the past three years now. As a family business, family life is important to us and we are proud to play our part to help raise funds which directly impact the lives of other families in our community.”
Santa Picks Winning Ticket
Carol adds: “It’s a real pleasure to bring a bit of brightness to a dull January by handing over the keys to the lucky winner. Congratulations to Mr Farthing!”
Mr Farthing was notified of his prize win on Christmas Eve. He said: “It was quite an amazing phone call I got to say I’d won. I didn't believe it originally, and then it dawned on me slowly that ‘this is real!’. What a great Christmas present!
“I bought the tickets because I’m a keen supporter of Charlie House, which I think is a wonderful cause doing wonderful things to help people in Aberdeen.”
Children’s charity Charlie House is the main beneficiary of the raffle with several other local community causes also benefitting from a share of the total raised.
Alan Pirie hands over keys to prize winner Robert Farthing
Commenting on the donation to Charlie House, Alan Pirie said: “This year’s raffle has been a great success thanks to the generosity of our local community.
“As Rotarians, we love supporting Charlie House and all that they do. We’re especially proud to support the care centre they’re planning to build in the grounds of Woodend Hospital. If we can help a little along the way, we’re thrilled to do so.
“This is the fifth year Charlie House has been the main beneficiary of the raffle and this year’s contribution of £19,500 will take us to a total of £111,850 donated to their Big Build Appeal.
“We are also delighted to make a difference to several other charities across the City and Shire who each benefit from the share of remaining total.”
Ollie Middleton, Charlie House fundraising team lead, comments: “At Charlie House we are committed to providing children and families local access to vital respite, palliative, and end-of-life care.
“Currently, there are 1,800 children in the North-east who need palliative or end-of-life care however, access to such care is limited. Of the 54 facilities in the UK which provide similar care, two are in Scotland and both are situated in the Central Belt. We are doing everything in our power to change this.
“The Aberdeen & North-east Rotary Clubs’ generous donation to our Big Build Appeal brings us closer to building our specialist care centre right here in Aberdeen.”
Ollie adds: “A huge thank you to Alan Pirie and the Rotarians, Carol and Max at C&M McDonald, and Bon Accord Aberdeen for hosting the raffle and live draw. Finally, the biggest thank you to everyone who bought a ticket. Your generosity will make a difference to many local families.”
To find out more about Charlie House and its Big Build Appeal, please visit: www.charliehouse.org.uk
For more information about the Rotary Club and its work visit: www.rotary-ribi.org