Hoteliers across the north-east smashed a fundraising target and raised thousands of pounds to help support people living with a debilitating disease.
Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels’ Association handed over £27,000 to Alzheimer Scotland at the charity’s dementia resource centre.
The money was raised over the course of a year, with the most recent fundraising effort being a 2,174-mile cycle challenge.
The event, which covered a distance equivalent to the Tour De France route, took place on static bikes at Aberdeen International Airport and hotels across the region.
Among the other initiatives the group took part in was the launch of a new lager with Deeside Brewery, participation in the city’s annual Memory Walk, and the auction of a bottle of Pol Roger Vintage Cap 1943 champagne.
Mike Edwards, owner of the Mariner Hotel in Aberdeen’s Great Western Road, has spearheaded the organisation’s fundraising.
Alzheimer Scotland is a charity close to his heart, as his father – a respected member of the hospitality industry in the north east – was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2008, aged just 59.
Mr Edwards said: “The cycle-a-thon marked the big finish to our year of fundraising for Alzheimer Scotland, and it was fantastic to see so many of my colleagues and peers in the hospitality industry squeezing themselves into their cycling gear and jumping on the bikes.”
In the Aberdeen area alone, there are about 300 people under the age of 65 living with dementia.
Andrea Watt, community fundraiser for the charity, added: “We are incredibly grateful to the support provided by Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels’ Association over the last year.
“Their hard work has provided a welcome boost to our operations in the north-east and will be invested back into the new resource centre which provides a vital source of information and support for those living with the condition.”
