Ayrshire Farming Family Raise £70,000 for Charity

An incredible sum of £70,000 has been raised by Drew and Ann Young and family of Girvan Mains after they held a major fundraising event to celebrate three milestones for the couple.

Instead of gifts for their 60^th birthdays and their 40^th wedding anniversary, the couple rallied friends and family to support a special party and live auction and raise funds for two charities close to their hearts – RSABI and Camphill Blair Drummond, where their daughter Hannah is a resident.

Chair of RSABI, David Leggat, and Lynda Ferguson and Gerry McKeown from Camphill Blair Drummond met members of the Young family at the United Auctions Bull Sales recently and the Youngs were delighted to present cheques for £35,000 to each charity.

After setting an initial fundraising target of £10,000 for each charity, the Young family were blown away by the response to their event and the generosity of those who donated money-can’t-buy items for auction and those who dug deep to buy them.

“We were astounded by the response from friends, family and neighbours when we started to organise the event. As a family we have been bowled over by the support,” said Drew Young.

“Both these charities are very dear to our hearts, and we are delighted to be able to hand over such a great sum and to be able to play our part in supporting the valuable work they do.”

Izy Young added: “James, David, Hannah and I are immensely proud to have such incredibly kind parents with the biggest of hearts. This is something we will talk about as a family for years to come and will never forget the kindness of our sponsors and donors without whom this event would just not of been the success that was. We cannot thank you all enough!”

David Leggat Chair of RSABI, extended heartfelt thanks to the Young family who are also members of RSABI’s Supporters’ Scheme.

“The Youngs really have raised an outstanding amount which is testament to their determination to run a really special event. It is a shining example of the closeness of the farming community and what can be achieved.

“We are so pleased the Youngs chose RSABI as one of the charities they wanted to help and we are incredibly grateful to Drew and Ann, and the entire Young family and all those who helped them with their fundraising endeavours.

“These are challenging times for many, and the significant sum raised will help us to provide vital emotional, practical and financial support to people in the agricultural industry who need our support.

“As well as raising a fantastic sum, the Youngs have also helped raise awareness of the work we do and the services which are available.”

Gerry McKeown, Development and Enterprise Manager and Lynda Ferguson, Appeal Co-Ordinator, both of Camphill Blair Drummond expressed their heartfelt and sincere thanks to the Young family.

Gerry McKeown said: “This is tremendous amount of money that has been raised and we are extremely grateful to have been chosen as one of the charities close to their hearts.

“We were delighted to attend the recent cheque presentation with Hannah, David and Ryan, who all share the same house, to acknowledge this fabulous fundraising achievement.

“To raise such an amount does not just happen, so we extend our thanks to all who went above and beyond and made the event so successful and memorable. Special thanks to all their family and circle of friends for their donations either financial or for the donations which were then auctioned.”

Lynda Ferguson, Appeal Co-ordinator added: “We are currently raising funds for the next phase of Capital Development Plan, which is a Sports and Recreational Centre, (Community Hub) benefiting everyone who lives and works in our community. This donation will increase our funding significantly and will help us to make our vision a reality.

“As a result of the Young family raising this absolutely amazing amount of money, our profile has also been raised, so a huge thank you.”