Winners 2008
The Bighearted Scotland Awards Winners 2008
Left to right, Jim McGregor (on behalf of his son Ewan), Susan Haughey, Jonathan Burns (on behalf of his late father Tommy),Josh Watt, Carol Humphreys, Chelsea Cameron, James Mortimer and Robin Hood.
Carol Humphreys
Bighearted Fundraiser of The Year
Carol has been raising funds in support of Cancer and Leukaemia charities for a number of years and is currently raising funds for CLIC Sargent. Through a series of events Carol and her family have raised approximately £460,000 – an outstanding amount by anyone’s standards. Carol sadly lost her son Kevin to Leukaemia On Xmas Day 2001, when he was just 15 years old. Kevin himself had raised £12,000 before he sadly passed away.
Chelsea Cameron
Bighearted Child of The Year
A few words from Chelsea’s mum:
“My daughter Chelsea, then aged 9, saved my life, when I had a huge seizure in April 2008. Chelsea makes sure I have taken my medicine and that I am eating. She helps with housework. She is a wonderful young carer. A few months ago I took a major seizure while I was visiting my mum, I just went down and nearly hit my head on the fireplace. I had already had a couple of seizures that day. Chelsea got a pillow under my head, she turned me on my left side and put me in the recovery position.She held my hand and tried to reassure me, she put a towel under my mouth in case I was sick.She opened my mouth to help me breathe and clear my airway before I was sick. Her quick thinking saved my life.”
James Mortimer
Bighearted Business Person of The Year
James runs a leisure business in Glasgow along with daughters.
He has been known over many years for this contributions to charities most of which he prefers to keep private.
Ewan McGregor
Bighearted Entertainer of The Year
Jim McGregor accepted the award on behalf of his son.
Ewan has supported CHAS since 1998. He has visited both our children’s hospices regularly, often in private, and spent a lot of time with our children and young people on these visits. He regularly donates signed goods for us to auction and raffle at events (including Long Way Round/Down books and posters, signed Star Wars films). He cut the first turf for Scotland’s second children’s hospice, Robin House, and visited there as part of his 15,000 mile motorbike journey “Long Way Down”. Ewan has also helped us to launch a number of fundraising initiatives, such as Rachel and Robin’s Big Read and our Christmas Post, by taking part in photo calls. Ewan gives his time to CHAS very willingly and we are extremely grateful to him and proud of his association with CHAS.
Tommy Burns
Bighearted Sports Person of The Year
Jonathan Burns accepted the award on behalf of his late father, Tommy.
Tommy Burns was as committed to his family and to charities as he was to his passion for football.
Tommy Burns battled through the ravages of cancer in the hope of living long enough to see his first grandson grow up.
But for the sporting legend, it was not to be. Burns earlier admitted: “You think you’re born, you grow up, you live a long life to a good old age and then, all of a sudden, something can change all that and take your life away. You look on every day as a bonus after that. You don’t make mountains out of molehills and fall out with people after that.”
He was a committed charity fundraiser. While most of his work was kept private, he is known to have donated to the Shaw Melanoma Charitable Trust, a Scottish skin cancer charity and along with Ally McCoist was an ambassador for the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF).
Josh Watt
Bighearted Scot of The Year
Josh, then aged 11, from Aberdeen had been learning to come to terms with his mother’s sudden death from epilepsy, by fundraising for others. Josh was his mum Tracy’s primary carer as his mum did not have anyone else at home to help. Josh is a very brave young man who is articulate, focused on what he is doing and an inspiration to all.
Robin Hood
Special Achievement Award
Robin’s daughter Alex was only 19 when she died in July 2008 of cancers caused by constant ravages to her body from the horrific blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa. Her dying wish was for Robin, 52, to continue the job he set himself shortly after the condition was diagnosed of raising enough cash to fund finding a cure. So far he has raised millions of pounds since giving up his business as a sporting agent to work full time for the charity DEBRA. In that time he has enlisted support from prime ministers while former US President Bill Clinton has told of his sorrow at Alex’s death. So has Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed who was so moved by Robin’s fight to save his daughter that he bought Alex a specially adapted car while boxing promoter Frank Warren yearly organises a special fight night in aid of the charity.
A close friend of Robin said: “He knew for the last five months of her agony filled life that Alex was dying. “She herself whispered to him one day ‘Daddy, I want to die because it’s not fair that Mum has to spend every day of her life looking after me’. Robin could not save Alex but his devotion and determination have brought hope and help to hundreds of others. Money raised by Robin has enabled experts to identify 15 of the genes that cause blistering and trials are now under way to treat humans in Italy.
Susan Haughey
Outstanding Contribution To The Community
In 1985 Susan and her husband Willie started up City Refrigeration, a Glasgow company that now employs just over 10,000 people and with a turnover in excess of £220m. Despite the ability to live a life of ease Susan has devoted a lot of her time to charitable works and a particular favourite has been Cystic Fibrosis and in the past five years, Susan has helped to raise over £200,000 for this particular charity.
Susan and Willie have set up their own trust and here are some of the charities they have been able to help.
St Andrew’s Hospice,the Special Olympics, Emmaus (to help build houses for the homeless), Schools Enterprise in Scotland, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust, Maggie’s Centres and an organisation that provides clean drinking water wells in Africa.
Additionally, Susan supports local community charities including Cash for Kids, NCH Action for Children, Marie Curie, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, Yorkhill Children’s Foundation. Susan and Willie have donated over £3m to charity, they are great believers in giving something back.
