A north-east man who raised money to save a local addiction recovery centre from closure has died.
Forbes Nicol was part of a team who raised over £35,000 to fund the vital upgrades for Sunnybrae in 1990 and had a wing of the building named after him.
Mr Nicol was known as a man of faith who loved his church, family and friends and had missed his late wife who died three years ago after 66 years of marriage.
He was a regular visitor at Sunnybrae and stepped in to help when the facility faced an uncertain future due to the state of the kitchen and dining room.
In order to upgrade the rooms, Mr Nicol worked hard along with others to set out on a mission to raise £35,568 by engaging with local churches and the community around Fraserburgh.
And the team’s efforts were such a success that they raised the money needed along with an additional £8,000.
The extra cash was used to set up a staff office with furniture.
The new office in the centre was named the Forbes W Nicol Wing and opened by Alex Salmond who then served as the Banff and Buchan MP.
Mr Nicol died in his sleep on Sunday.
Teen Challenge North East Scotland bought Sunnybrae in 2003 and still benefits from the refurbishment of the wing on a daily basis.
Paul Beaton, support worker for Teen Challenge, said: “We were very sad to hear about the passing of Mr Forbes.
“People have said they will miss his encouragement.
“Mr Forbes was a great character and support to all who are involved with Sunnybrae.
“He would regularly come up and ask about people, how they were doing and find out what was going on.
“On his visits he would chat to staff and speak to the residents who have all expressed their sadness.
“Each time he came he would have a positive impact on everyone and helped those who were struggling with their recovery.
“He will be sorely missed.”
Sunnybrae is a faith-based recovery centre in the north-east of Scotland for men who have battled with life-controlling drug or alcohol addictions.
