A science fiction enthusiast has donated nearly £1,000 worth of memorabilia to help a struggling Elgin dog daycare business find a new home.
Ryan Imlach suffers from depression, and volunteering at the Dolittle Doggy Daycare centre in Elgin offers him an incentive to get out and about.
When he recently learned that the venture’s future had been thrown into jeopardy, Mr Imlach resolved to help ensure it can live on.
Its owners have been asked to leave their Lossie Wynd premises by the end of October, because the building’s upstairs floor is being converted into a flat.
Sisters Meg Grant and Esther Riddell are desperate to secure the firm’s future in a new home – but spent all their savings on upgrading their present base less than a year ago.
They are now searching for another venue, and are fundraising to cover the cost of adapting it for their canine clientele – which could cost as much as £10,000.
Mr Imlach is a life-long fan of the Star Wars films, and stunned Ms Grant and Mrs Riddell when he arrived for a shift recently with stacks of merchandise from the sci-fi saga.
He asked the sisters to place the collection of figures, books, games and trinkets for sale online, and to add the proceeds to their fundraising tally.
The 39-year-old said: “I’ve been collecting these for about 10 years now, and some of the pieces are quite rare and valuable.
“I think the money raised could reach the high hundreds, maybe just shy of £1,000.
“I’d been waiting for a worthy cause to donate them to, and this just felt right.”
He added: “I suffer from depression and have mental health issues, and volunteering for the past three months has been great therapy for me.”
Mrs Riddell said: “Ryan is just brilliant with the dogs, and we couldn’t believe it when he arrived with these rucksacks full of Star Wars things.
“We were just so overwhelmed by the gesture.”
The sisters will have to install rubber flooring for the dogs’ safety and fence off an outside area for them at any new premises they secure.
They have managed to amass £1,000 through a variety of different drives, and customers have also been staging their own collections.