It’s 13th time lucky
The 2019 Rotary Club of Perth silent auction gets under way today.
Once again, local Rotarians are teaming up with the Perthshire Advertiser for one of the most popular fundraisers on the calendar.
The beneficiaries this year will be The Cornhill Macmillan Centre at Perth Royal Infirmary, the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, and selected other local smaller charities.
PA editor Douglas Dickie joined Rotarians for the launch of the latest silent auction, which attracts support from hundreds of businesses, with donations still flooding in.
He said: “This is the 13th time the PA and the city’s oldest Rotary club have joined forces to raise money for deserving causes.
“Down the years, over £300,000 has been generated and that is testimony to the generosity of the businesses and the people of Perth and Kinross.”
The Cornhill Macmillan Centre has benefited from all previous auctions.
But this is the first year backing the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation established by Scotland rugby legend Doddie Weir, to raise funds for the fight against motor neurone disease.
Rotarian and auction co-ordinator David Lindsay met up with Doddie to outline the silent auction’s plans to support his charitable foundation.
“I met Doddie in Edinburgh and he truly is inspirational,” said David.
“It was humbling to see a former top-class sportsman being really chuffed that he had managed to make the train journey from Melrose unaided for our meeting.
“After meeting Doddie, I am more energised than ever to join my fellow Rotarians and the PA team in making this silent auction another huge success.
“He is a super bloke, still with a lovely sense of humour.
“Doddie explained that upon being diagnosed he was sent home and told to return in a year.
“There was nothing that could be done for him and no advice given.
“So, he determined to raise money for muchneeded research into this cruellest of conditions.
“Yes, the ultimate desire is to defeat the disease but in the meantime the foundation aims to provide sufferers with a basic understanding as to what may assist them in terms of exercise and diet and indeed anything else.
“The silent auction started with the aim of raising money for Perth’s new Cornhill palliative care unit.
This was in response to a huge push for local funding being driven by Macmillan and we are delighted to be supporting the cause once again.”
Readers will be familiar with the format for the silent auction.
The event will reach a climax on December 7, with lots being sold online at one minute intervals.
Between the Perthshire Advertiser advertising every donated lot, every week, and the auction website – allowing users to click through to the donor’s site hundreds of lots and their donors enjoy a high profile.
Over the five weeks that the auction is online over 300,000 visits are made to the website.
David added: “The silent auction is a great example of a community venture and would not be possible without the incredible support we receive from the Perthshire Advertiser team, the business community, the unsung backroom team of Rotarians who do an enormous amount of work and, of course, the many bidders who dig deep every year.”
David also said “We still need more donations from local businesses.” To donate a lot for 2019, or for any enquiry: Email Silentauction@dlpltd Call 01738 620161 ●Log onto the website www.perthsilentauction. co.uk and click on “Donate a Lot”