Ayrshire Cancer Support can announce that a total of £271,000 has been raised in the first year of its capital campaign to help fund a bright new drop-in centre for people and their families affected by cancer, which almost takes the charity to its first target of £350,000 to buy a building in Ayr. Phase Two, will see a push to raise a further £350,000 to carry out building and special adaptations to the new centre.
The fantastic sum has been raised by a number of local individuals and businesses getting behind the capital campaign to help raise funds and include:
Ayr Racecourse, who have raised £18,500 by choosing the charity as their partner and has agreed to extend the partnership for another year.
Gary Nolan of Nolan Wealth Management, Ayr raised £9,500 by organising a special Clay Pigeon Shoot at Turnberry.
Eva and Roger Beattie, who sadly lost their four-year-old child to a rare form of cancer, lead a special fundraising team, in memory of their daughter Beth, called Team Beth. They raised in excess of an eye-watering £45,000 by hosting a range of fundraising events and getting involved in challenges from Sky Diving to Kilt Walking.
Estelle Little, of Ayr, herself diagnosed with cancer, approached the charity when she heard they were desperately seeking funds for a new centre. Working for Savills Estates, Estelle has a host of property expertise and offered to lend her experience, as well as her passion to the cause. Estelle told her story at the charity’s fundraising Ball prior to the auction and helped to raise a massive £45,000 at this event.
The charity currently have their property, which has been deemed as no longer fit for purpose, at Wellington Square, Ayr up for sale at an asking price of £90,000. Although the centre is still in operation it does not offer the level of facilities required to ensure an all-round supportive experience.
Laura Brown, Head of Income for Ayrshire Cancer Support said, ‘ It’s great that we have managed to raise just over £270,000 it means that we have almost got enough money to buy a new building. I’d like to thank everyone who has donated so far. We are getting close to being able to buy a building, we will then need to continue to raise funds to undertake the necessary building works we will need to do to turn it into a bright and purposeful drop-in centre. We want to replicate our current Kilmarnock centre right here in Ayr. Locals will be able to arrange patient transport in person as well as receive support, counselling and therapies to help people deal with the symptoms of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment. There will also be an area where people can drop in for a coffee and a chat with other users who are going through cancer treatment. We recognise there is a gap in provision in Ayr, and we are doing everything we can to raise funds to get this much needed centre open. Our current centre serves a purpose and is still very much open – but we need much better facilities than we currently have. We’re the only local charity that provides such a volume of transport to patients to access their treatment, regardless of where it is. We’d urge everyone to think local when choosing a charity to donate to. We urgently need these services on our doorstep – and by donating to Ayrshire Cancer Support you are ensuring your money stays locally and will make a big difference to people who live here, in South Ayrshire.’
In addition to raising funds for the new centre, the charity needs to raise around £2,500 every day to help deliver their free daily services. Ayrshire Cancer Support provided over 12,000 free patient transport journeys to hospital appointments and delivered around 6,000 free therapeutic appointments in the past year.
If you can help raise funds for Ayrshire Cancer Support’s free services, or if you can help raise funds for their new building call 01292 269888.
