Mark Colley-Davies of Methlick, a senior professional fundraiser with the MS Society in Scotland, has died aged 60.
Mark was born in Merseyside in July 1963 to Janet and David Colley. When his parents divorced and David met and married Beryl Davies, the family name became Colley-Davies.
He was educated in Cheshire at Helsby Grammar and then Sir John Deanes Grammar.
After completing sixth form, Mark enrolled at Salford University where he studied biology, physics and chemistry and then went on to read pure biochemistry.
He progressed to study for an MBA which he achieved through The Open University.
In his youth, Mark joined the Scouts and Sea Scouts and loved outdoor activities including canoeing and camping. Mark also represented his school in triple jump at county level.
It was at school that he met his future wife, Heather, and the couple would remain together for the rest of his life.
Heather and Mark got married in 1983 just before he joined Sainsbury’s graduate scheme as a trainee manager and, before long, had been appointed a manager at the age of 29.
After moving around England with Sainsbury’s, a move to London headquarters followed where he helped to pioneer and launch the Sainsbury’s Local shops concept.
A move to Aberdeen was next and he was put in charge of the Garthdee store which he turned into the company’s most profitable store for its size in the UK.
The family, which had grown to include Lucy and Amy, made their home on a smallholding in Methlick where they kept chickens, sheep, pigs and cows.
However, when Sainsbury’s offered him a move back to England, the family decided to stay put in Methlick and Mark made a career change to work in the charities sector.
Charity management
He spent more than nine years working as an area fundraiser then a community fundraiser with the MS Society after an 11-year spell as a senior manager with Cancer Research UK in Scotland.
His spells with Cancer Research UK, and the MS Society were sandwiched with a period as Scotland and Northern Ireland fundraising manager with the Teenage Cancer Trust.
As well as having a passion for fundraising and helping people in need through his third sector career, he also enjoyed taking on personal challenges to raise money for the MS Society.
These included a bungee jump for his 50th birthday, climbing Ben Nevis and, four years ago, an Arctic Trek for the MS Society. He walked for three days with full kit in freezing conditions for which he raised more than £4,000 personally.
He would go on to help raise more than £1.3 million pounds for the MS Society both in his role as community fundraiser and with his own personal efforts.
Outside work, Mark gave his time fundraising and securing many grants for Methlick, supporting the cricket club, the football club, the community council, Beaton Hall and other causes.
Following his stint as chairman of his beloved Methlick Cricket Club, he also served as honorary vice-president of the club and as maintenance man and groundsman.
Mark also helped to establish Methlick Junior Cricket Club team and was a coach for the team on a Sunday morning.
He was also a would-be mechanic and loved to spend time in Bluebell Motors, a large garage he built at home.
Diagnosis
In 2022, Mark was diagnosed with prostate cancer and after a sudden unexpected decline in health, passed away at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary surrounded by his family.
Heather said: “He was a larger-than-life character who had an affinity with people. He loved talking to people and could strike up a conversation with anyone about anything.”
His daughter, Lucy Burnett, said: “He had a seemingly endless knowledge about a diverse range of subjects. We didn’t often need to Google things, it was just ask dad. He was an amazing husband, dad, pop, son and friend to many and he has left a huge hole in our lives and hearts and we will all miss him terribly.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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