Ball raises £5100 for Brain Tumour Charity
Cause dear to couple’s hearts
A former east Perthshire couple has thanked friends, family and local businesses after raising an incredible £5100 for the Brain Tumour Charity.
Last summer Hayley Smith was left in shock as husband Matthew suddenly fell seriously ill.
It was discovered he had a “massive” tumour in his brain, the effects of which became dramatically apparent within hours.
After Matthew had lifesaving surgery and started a programme of chemotherapy, the couple decided to organise a Big Burns Ball, which was held in January at Fingask Castle, to raise money for the charity.
Hayley said: “The ball was amazing, it completely exceeded my expectations!
“Fingask Castle looked incredible with lots of beautiful, twinkly lights.
“After speeches and piping in the haggis we had a delicious Burns supper provided by Riverside Catering and then it was straight on to dancing.
“I have to say that the Empire Wedding Band were one of the highlights of the night.
“They had everyone up on the dance floor from the first song.
“One of my favourite moments was the Gay Gordons. I think almost every single person was up there and there was 170 people!
“I was right in the middle and everyone had such big smiles on their faces.
“I couldn’t believe the generosity of all the guests.
“We raised a whopping £5100, with over half of that money from raffle ticket sales.
“This is an incredible amount of money and Matt and I were so proud to hand over the cheque to the Brain Tumour Charity.
“We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended, donated and contributed and a huge thank you to Fingask Castle for being so incredibly generous and giving us this opportunity for the charity.”
Hayley said Matthew was holding up well through his treatment.
She added: “Matthew is doing so well, even the nurses are amazed at how well he is keeping through his chemo. April is his last round of chemo for now.
“We are having a Mexicanthemed fiesta for our friends at the house in April to celebrate and thank them all for their love and support.
“I am definitely keen to do a lot more fundraising for the charity. I am having a little break for now as I think I squeezed every penny or prize out of everyone I know.
“I’d love to have a ball next year again as it is such a great way of generating a big amount of money.”