Top Businessmen Learn About Golfer's Foundation

About 20 of the north-east's most prominent business people gathered in Aberdeen last night to learn about a charity set up to support cancer sufferers.

Established by Scottish: golfer Colin-Montgomerie after his mother Elizabeth died of lung cancer, the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation works to provide practical and emotional support to cancer patients and their families across Scotland.

Last night, Mr Montgomerie hosted the dinner at Malmaison in Queen's Road, which was attended by property developer Stewart Milne, Alan Scott, managing director of Aberdeen Journals and the chief executive of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin franchise, Robert Cook.

The charity, set up in 2005 but officially launched in September last year, is currently working to raise about £2.5million for a new Maggie Cancer Caring Centre at Monklands in Lanarkshire.

Mr Montgomerie said:

"The dinner is a way of coming up with ideas of how to raise the money, and by asking people to use their own contacts, friends and businesses to fund raise.

"I have visited the Maggie Centre in Dundee, and found the staff, people and the amount of emotional support for patients and their families amazing - it is something I feel my mother could have benefited from.

"It was very moving, and I saw just how important this is."

He added that once the centre in Monklands was running, he hoped one could eventually be set up to help cancer patients in the north-east.

"It's in everybody's interest," he said. "Somebody we all know has been touched by the illness."

BY SHONA GOSSIP, Aberdeen Press and Journal