NEWS IN BRIEF Match fund boost aids Maggie’s

Supporters of Maggie’s Lanarkshire cancer caring centre are being asked to dig deep this week – as all donations to the charity until next Thursday are being doubled by Lanarkshire businessman Les Hutchison.

He has offered to match-fund donations up to the value of £50,000 before Christmas to help the facility, based at University Hospital Monklands, to continue providing its services for people with cancer and their loved ones.

The fundraising challenge is already off to a flying start, thanks to a donation from Lanarkshire ice rink and money given in a bucket collection by fans attending last week’s Motherwell v Celtic fixture.

Maggie’s provides practical and emotional support including counselling, financial advice and a wide selection of classes and activities including walking, cookery and tai-chi.

The centre relies on voluntary donations to meet its running costs of £2400 per day; and staff expect there to be 7000 visitors to the Airdrie centre in 2018, and to offer benefits advice to more than 800 people.

Maggie’s Lanarkshire centre head Lorrie Forsyth said:“We’re all hugely grateful to Les Hutchison for his amazing support – we rely on the kindness and generosity of people like him, and of local companies, to ensure our range of specialist support can be offered to anyone affected by cancer.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to double the value of donations to Maggie’s and help make a huge difference to all those who will visit the Lanarkshire centre.”