Memory of much-loved Dingwall man honoured at Strathpeffer Ball to benefit Highland Hospice
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THE family of a beloved Ross man will be holding a fundraising ball for a Highland charity in his memory.
For the third year the relatives of Donnie Donaldson, a Dingwall man who sadly passed away in October 2017 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer, will be organising the Tartan Ball at Strathpeffer Pavilion to raise vital funds for the Highland Hospice.
The night will see live music by local artist Ezra, Ness Factor winner Caroline Devine and a Gaelic choir as well as a silent auction, a raffle and tricks by Clive the Magician.
Mr Donaldson, who was a well known Dingwall character,worked in oil industry most of his life. He was a keen football fan following Ross county, Celtic and Scotland.
His wife, Elizabeth Donaldson, daughters Fiona and Jillian Jack, who are also part owners at Scizzor Sisters hairdresser in Dingwall, and Lauren and Jai, Donnie's grandchildren, are the organisers of the event.
Fiona said: "He was an inspiration to us all with the way he handled his illness. He was admitted into the hospice in August 2017, where the care and compassion he and the family received was truly amazing. We had been wary of him going into hospice because Donnie had no wish to be part of a hospital environment but it turned out to be the best thing that happened. The care he received enabled him to spend an extra few weeks at home with his family. We can never repay them.
"When he came home from hospice, we floated the idea of doing some fundraising when we realised how much it took to run the hospice, and how much they relied on donations. Donnie himself took part in organising the first ball. We as a family found it a brilliant way of filling the void that his passing left."
Since then, the family and Scizzor Sisters have organised a series of events, with open days at the hair salon, spiritual events and disco nights.
Ms Jack said "So far we have raised over £50,000, which sounds a lot, but when you realise the hospice needs £7000 a day to operate we have just helped out for a week"!
Wendy Morgan of Highland Hospice said: “The support of this family is just incredible, and we are so appreciative of their fundraising efforts all year round. The feedback from the Tartan Ball is that it is an amazing night, so we would urge anyone to get a ticket and support the Hospice whilst having a lot of fun and remembering a very special man.”
The Tartan Ball will be held in Strathpeffer Pavilion on March 14 at 4.30pm. Space-permitting, single and table tickets for 10 people can be purchased at £65 per person from Scizzor Sisters Hair Salon, Dingwall.
