Cancer researchers at the University of Aberdeen are to benefit from £800 raised at an Aberdeenshire school reunion.
A group of school friends from Aberdeenshire organised a school reunion in December and decided to make it a fundraising event to raise money for cancer research at the University of Aberdeen. Setting out with a target to raise £300, they were delighted to end up with £800.
The reunion was organised by friends Una Patterson and Linda Watt in less than two months after the original organiser had to pull out. Una said “We decided to organise a school reunion as we were all turning 50 and the decision to make it a fundraising event was because sadly, four of our friends are no longer with us due to cancer. They all died from different forms of the disease so we didn’t want to pick out one area in particular, hence the donation being made to general cancer research.”
The friends organised Christmas hampers and raffles on the night to raise the funds and everybody involved gave very generously.
Earlier in March Una and Linda visited the University’s Institute of Medical Sciences, where much of the University’s cancer research is undertaken, to hand over their donation and to be given a tour of the facility. They were greeted and thanked by Professor Emad El-Omar, the University’s Chair in Gastroenterology, who gave them an overview of the different types of cancer research happening at the Foresterhill campus and took them to see a working laboratory.
Emma Leiper, the University of Aberdeen Development Trust’s Donor Relations Officer said “Donations such as this are absolutely essential to the research being undertaken at the University. Without them, many of our researchers would be unable to undertake pilot projects and studies which are required before they can then apply for larger grants. Gifts like this therefore make a huge difference to our cancer research.”
Fundraising income for the University’s cancer research is channelled through the University of Aberdeen Development Trust which is a charity registered in Scotland. The Trust raises essential funds to support much of the University’s activities such as vital medical research as well as supporting students through the provision of scholarships, bursaries and facilities. Funding from alumni, individuals, companies, organisations and the community is essential for the development of cancer research in Aberdeen as well as many other activities.