Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Family carry out dad’s dying wish
Thousands raised
A group of siblings from Airdrie have honoured their father’s final wish and organised a hugely successful fundraiser for two charities.
Robert Ferguson, son of Airdrie burgh’s last provost William, passed away in February following a long battle with cancer.
And his children, Gary, Karen and Lynn, along with his wife Elizabeth, have raised more than £9000, thanks to a successful event last month, and generous donations from friends and colleagues.
More than 200 attended the evening at Airdrie’s working men’s club, with entertainment provided by local performer Carrie Carolyn Jones.
Fundaising included a raffle with more than 150 prizes, as well as an auction for signed memorabilia, with one prize a pair of signed boxing gloves from Ricky Burns.
The money has been split between the two charities that Robert, 60, asked to be supported shortly before his passing.
St Andrew’s Hospice have received £5000 with Macmillan Cancer Support given £4237.
Robert’s daughter, Karen Dempsie, says the money raised is testament to a man she and her siblings call “our hero”.
She told the Advertiser: “We are completely overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone.
“We take great comfort in knowing our dad was loved and respected by so many.
“In fact, we can no longer say he was only our hero, he was everyone’s hero.
“He was so kind, always put others first and the fact his final wish was to raise money for others just sums him up.”
Robert was diagnosed with stomach cancer four years ago and underwent a seemingly successful operation.
But after falling ill last November, he was told he had terminal peritonial cancer and he died after a short stay in St Andrew’s Hospice.
More than half of the money raised came from donations from some of Robert’s former colleagues and friends in China, where he worked as a selfemployed service engineer.
And Karen was gobsmacked when she was told how much money had been donated from the Far East.
She revealed: “I didn’t realise how many people he knew out there.
“We are completely overwhelmed by the number of donations and the generosity of everyone.
“A lot of people have been in contact with us saying they worked with him and were a friend of his.
“Some of them have said they’ll be in touch the next time they are over in the UK as they want to visit his final resting place.”
Elizabeth and Robert celebrated their ruby wedding last October, and the mother-of-three says it is a treasured memory.
She said: “We thoroughly enjoyed that evening. It was a milestone for us and something I’ll never forget.
“Robert was a wonderful, hardworking man who is missed by all.”
Karen added: “We’d like to thank everyone who donated and helped.”