Aberdeen-born singer Annie Lennox has donated the handwritten lyrics of one of her biggest hits to raise money for first responders in rural areas.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), which reached number two in the UK charts in 1983, will go up for auction as part of an initiative to raise £40,000 to fund ten emergency responders for the Aberdeenshire-based Sandpiper Trust.
Ms Lennox established links with the charity after becoming ‘pen pals’ with its boss Robin Maitland, who was left paralysed with a mystery illness, following an operation to remove a benign tumour on his spine in December 2014.
And now, the Eurythmics star has donated the hand-written lyrics of one of her most iconic songs.
Sandpiper Trustee, Claire Maitland MBE, said “Three years ago, my husband Robin became unwell and on hearing of his illness, Annie kindly took the time to write to Robin.
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“I cannot express how grateful we are for her support and allowing us to put her words under the hammer.”
Every Second Counts and the Sandpiper Trust want to use the money to equip volunteers with Sandpiper bags which contain all equipment required in an emergency.
These are designed to save lives in rural areas with volunteers working alongside the ambulance service to work as first responders in emergency situations.
Gavin Hastings, the former Scotland rugby captain, who is a Sandpiper Trust patron, said: “The greatest satisfaction to me is when I hear reports back from doctors of the lives that have been saved.
“Every second counts and now we have the best chance of beating the clock and saving lives that otherwise would have been lost.”
Ms Lennox has been lavished with more than 100 awards during her career, while selling over 80 million records with hits like Sweet Dreams, Walking on Broken Glass, Here Comes the Rain Again and Nostalgia.
She became the first female Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University last year, succeeding Nobel Peace Prize Winner Professor Muhammad Yunus.
There will be chance to buy the lyrics when they go under the hammer alongside paintings, holidays and days out at a gala dinner at The Marcliffe Hotel on October 11.
