The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Chef delivers £52,000 boost to cancer study
HEALTH: Andrew Fairlie raises funding for Scottish charity’s radiotherapy project
World-renowned chef Andrew Fairlie has raised more than £50,000 to support a new study into how radiotherapy can be used to fight cancer.
The chef, who owns the Michelinstarred Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel, has spent 10 years living with a brain tumour and decided to raise the money to support the Beatson Cancer Charity-funded Radiotherapy Project.
He and his staff undertook a range of fundraising endeavours, including running an auction for him to cook a meal for the winner in their own home.
They presented a cheque for the £52,712 they raised to the charity this week. It is hoped the research will significantly increase the ability of radiotherapy treatments to shrink, control and in some cases eradicate cancers.
The project is being led by Professor Anthony Chalmers from the Clinical Oncology Institute of Cancer Sciences and Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and Glasgow University,
Andrew said: “I am very grateful to everyone who has enabled me to raise so much money for the Beatson – our guests at the restaurant, my staff and some very generous friends and donors.
“It’s the very least I could do considering the world-class treatment and service myself and my family have received from every single person we have come into contact with at the Beatson.”
Prof Chalmers said: “This extraordinarily generous donation from Andrew Fairlie is a huge boost to our radiotherapy research programme at the Beatson.
“As well as providing financial support for a number of key researchers, it is a massive morale boost for the team.
“Andrew is a truly inspiring person in many ways: as a patient, as a hugely successful chef, and as a supporter of our research.
“Andrew is a truly inspiring person in many ways.
PROF ANTHONY CHALMERS
“This donation will accelerate our efforts to improve survival and quality of life in patients whose cancers are difficult to treat.
“We will do this by developing and testing new radiotherapy technologies and combining them with new, targeted drugs.”
Meanwhile, the Beatson Cancer Charity chief executive Graham Soutar said: “This money is helping fund an incredible project that will have a significant impact on survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients.”