With the season of good will underway, it was heartening to see fundraising stalwart Tom Gilzean appeal to the Scottish public to help him raise £50,000 for charity by the end of the year.
The 94-year-old bravely pounds Edinburgh’s pavements every day to raise money for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, which supports the Capital’s children’s hospital, as well as other causes that help injured soldiers and pensioners.
I’ve often spotted the war veteran on the Royal Mile and dropped some cash into his tin. I’m always amazed when I’m reminded that he has single-handedly raised more than £100,000 in total for the Sick Kids.
Despite reaching the grand age of 94 this year, Tom puts us all to shame by refusing to take a break from fundraising. What’s more, he always has a smile on his face.
Most of us moan and groan when we have a cold at this time of the year but Tom is outdoing us all and raising the bar in his nineties.
Tom started fundraising when he was 80-years-old and plans to continue until he is 100. What a fantastic ambition to have.
He could be forgiven for relaxing and putting his feet up in his later years, but retirement has just spurred Tom on to do more for others.
This year has been Tom’s most successful to date, having raised more than £45,000 for worthy causes since January.
The money raised will be used to provide world-class equipment such as a mini image intensifier scanning machine and extra family-friendly services including art therapy and parent accommodation.
We often forget the costs of running hospitals and the added services they provide to sick people and their families.
Having a sick child can be a huge strain on a family and offering accommodation to keep families close while they deal with illness can often make the biggest difference.
Tom not only raises money but he also volunteers with the charity and has already signed up to help out next year.
People like this remind me what’s really important at this time of year. It’s all about reaching out to the people around us and doing what you can for others in less fortunate circumstances.
There are lots of families across Scotland who won’t get to spend Christmas together because they have a sick child. That’s a scary time and I’m proud that institutions like the Sick Kids Friends Foundation exist to make a difficult time that bit easier for young patients and their worried parents, especially over the festive season when family is so important to us all.
Tom is aiming to reach the 50k mark by the end of the month and I hope the great Scottish public can help make this happen.
I reckon he deserves a few days off from fundraising – especially in this bitter weather.
His enthusiasm and energy in raising valuable funds for such a worthwhile charity is an inspiration to us all, and let’s give this selfless wonder of a man the best Christmas present ever by helping him reach his target.
Scotland Can Be a World Host
The year 2014 has been a phenomenal year for the Scottish tourism sector.
We have shown that we can stage world-class events having hosted the Commonwealth Games, The Ryder Cup and the MTV EMAs.
With the world’s eyes watching, what struck me was the incredible facilities that we have, from the sporting infrastructure to the jaw-dropping SSE Hydro which is up there with the best venues in the world.
Scotland well and truly stepped up this year.
Our hotel sector played a big part too, hosting significant numbers of visitors from across the globe.
We’ve always had a good reputation for looking after people, we can compete with the best.
And this was backed-up last week when Atholl Palace Hotel in Perthshire was named as one of the 28 most ‘jaw-dropping’ hotels around the world.
The four-star hotel is the only UK destination to feature on the list, joining prestigious hotels in Dubai, Bali, Chile and Switzerland.
This is another great story for the Scottish tourism and leisure industry and shows we are amongst the best when it comes to good old hospitality and looking after our visitors.
In further news in the sector, it was pleasing to read that the Redefine|BDL portfolio has been appointed to manage 22 hotels on behalf of LRG Acquisition Limited.
Tourism is one of Scotland’s most prominent industries and we need to see continued investment to ensure we exploit the bounce from 2014, when Scotland showed that it could host and entertain the world with style and swagger.
It Made Me Laugh: Reindeer Need Rocket Fuel
I caught myself having a laugh this week when I read reports that Santa had recorded his fastest speed in the skies ever last week.
A PR stunt from M&D’s saw the papers claim that his reindeer had reached record-breaking speeds shortly before arriving at the theme park for the launch of their calendar of Christmas events.
Scotland’s Theme Park had cleverly claimed to have provided Santa with a special energy boosting feed for his reindeer to help speed up the 2,366 mile journey.
I don’t know what ingredients they claimed to include in this energy boost but I think I’ll certainly need something similar to get me through the busy festive season ahead!
It Made Me Weep: Cricket Loss is a Global Blow
I was saddened to hear about the untimely death of young cricket star Phillip Hughes last week.
The 25-year-old batsman passed away unexpectedly after he was hit by a ball at a routine domestic match down under.
The loss of life at such a young age is invariably tragic and I know the cricket and sporting communities around the world are mourning for the loss of this great young talent and paying tribute to his achievements.
My heart also goes out to bowler Sean Abbott who threw the ball which led to this freak accident. I hope his fellow sportsmen are on hand to lend what support they can as he attempts to cope with this terrible circumstance.
