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Business for Scotland raises £51,500 for charity

Written by Michelle Rodger

Generous business owners at the Business for Scotland Annual Dinner raised £51,500 for charity.

Acclaimed artist Gerard Burns donated his portrait of the First Minister, created as part of his ‘14 for 14’ exhibition featuring 14 Scots who inspired him. Generous business owners donated sums from £500 to £5000, with the money going to children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent. The portrait will now be hung at Holyrood.

Ian MacDougall, director of Business for Scotland, was at the dinner. He said:

“The whole evening was a fantastic success, with rousing speeches from FM Alex Salmond and Elaine C Smith.

“The generosity from our members at the dinner was incredible, and I’m immensely grateful to them for digging so deeply into their pockets.

“We’re delighted that this money is going to such a worthwhile cause, helping children with cancer.”

Gerard Burns said he decided to paint Scots who inspired him to mark 2014 as a landmark year for Scotland, with the recent Independence Referendum and Commonwealth Games. He said:

“I am eternally grateful to the business community in Scotland who via this portrait, have donated so generously to this wonderful charity. By doing so they have made it possible for CLIC Sargent to continue their amazing work and in particular the services that Malcolm Sargent house provides, which is vital, particularly for families who are going through such a tough time.”

About the author

Michelle Rodger

Michelle is a former national newspaper journalist who co-founded an award-winning IT business before launching Tartan Cat Communications. A social media and crowdfunding expert she manages media and communications for Business for Scotland.

2 Comments

  • Great to see that the Business for Scotland site is alive and very much kicking after the recent disappointing Indyref. Followed your site in the approached to the vote. I am greatly impressed that there are many strong, and imaginative, business people in Scotland looking forward to the future. Their generosity will be greatly appreciated by a very worthwhile charity. Hopefully an Independent Scotland will be able to add to our kids care in future.

  • Nice one – with this first referendum over and our energies directed towards INDY2, it is quite wonderful that all that aside, our business community finds the generosity of spirit and pocketbook to help those in need. Especially, heary warming given the hard times the Westminster austerity philosophy is causing amonget those most in need; well done indeed.

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