An annual fundraising sale held in north Skye last weekend has raised an astonishing £24,000 for the Skye branch of Cancer Research UK.
The sale of work, which is held each year in Staffin, took place in the local hall on Saturday with a sizeable crowd in attendance.
The sale of work includes an auction, a variety of stalls, a raffle and afternoon teas served in the cafe. It began back in 1986 and has a long-established reputation for raising considerable sums for Cancer Research UK.
This year’s sale was opened by Alan MacRae, whose father the late Dr Calum MacRae was a founder member of the Skye cancer research committee.
Alasdair Nicolson and his wife Helen are among the founding members of the committee. Mr Nicolson told the Free Press: “Alan MacRae came and opened the sale, and he spoke very well. His father was Dr Calum Og MacRae, who was on the committee for many years since it came into being Ñ he was a family doctor and a friend to many on this island and beyond.”
Commenting on the sum raised this year, Mr Nicolson said: “It is totally wonderful – every year it just gets better.
“It always surprises us how much is raised, but there is a lot of hard work that goes into it – there is a lot going on behind the scenes that the public don’t see. We had one a young chap there selling tickets for a rugby shirt and he took in £780. Others have put in large donations.”
He described the members of the committee as “wonderful”, and added “We are getting to know a lot of them now because they have been with us for many years. The committee is small – it only has 10 people – and very seldom do we get together because of the topography of the place. It is not always easy to meet come the middle of winter. And yet the same emphasis goes on getting the job done and getting it done well.”
Mr Nicolson added: “I think the people who have supported us have been loyal to us over many years – not only at the annual sale of work but even the house-to-house collections. It just shows the generosity of people far and wide.
In 2018 the total amount raised by the annual sale surpassed by the £1 million mark.
Article by Adam Gordon.
P.S. Special thanks to Ann MacPherson who kindly aided our otherwise ‘stranded’ reporter with a lift following the event.