Scotland’s soft-fruit growers have raised in excess of £27,000 for three charities at a fundraising ball.
Rait’s Fingask Castle was transformed for the evening to mark the end of the fruit growing season.
A previous ball two years ago raised £10,009.
But organisers Aileen McDonald, of Rait; Karen Neill, of Coupar Angus; Julia Grant, of Blairgowrie; Julie Husband, of Muirhead, and Donna Macdonald, of Kirriemuir, said they were delighted by the £27,449.47 generated this time around. Half the proceeds is being given to the Royal Highland Education Trust, which works with schools and pupils across Scotland to give them a better insight into farming, the countryside and where their food comes from.
The remainder of the money is being split between Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia and Alzheimers Scotland, which were chosen on the night of the ball by the 350 guests.
Mrs Neill, of Easter Denhead, Coupar Angus, said: “The ball could not have gone any better. We are completely overwhelmed with the amount of money we have been able to raise for charity.”
The night featured an auction, conducted by Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ auctioneer Finlay McIntyre and AMC’s Dougal Hamilton. There was also a raffle and silent auction, which between them raised in excess of £7,000.
Among the star items in the auction was a specialist fertiliser programe which made £1,050 to Fordoun’s Ross Mitchell and a trip down a potash mine bought for £650 by Friockheim’s Mark Batchelor
The ball was sponsored by law firm Thorntons, Sealed Air, Berry Gardens, Everris, Mack Multiples, Mackays Jam, Infia UK, Caber Energy and Engage Agro.