Singing sensation Lulu was the surprise act at the eighth annual Donna Mortimer Ballantyne ball.
Held at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Glasgow the event raised an outstanding £340,000 for South Lanarkshire’s Kilbryde Hospice.
The sold-out ball, organised by The Donna Mortimer Ballantyne Trust, included an hour-long set from Lulu, entertainment from Edward Reid of Britain’s Got Talent fame and after dinner speaker Bill Copeland, an auction hosted by Lord Willie Haughey and a raffle and fronted by radio DJ Paul Cooney.
All proceeds go towards the running of the in-bed patient wing at the hospice, which opened in August 2018 and was named after the mum-of-three.
The charity, chaired by Lady Susan Haughey, was set up in memory of Bothwell’s Donna, who died from skin cancer in 2011 aged just 39.
It aims to continue Donna’s efforts to raise awareness about the disease and the dangers of using sunbeds.
And Donna’s father, Lanarkshire entrepreneur James Mortimer, told the Advertiser: “I am just astounded by the amount raised this year and we are so grateful to everyone who continues to support the charity and keep Donna’s memory alive.”
Donna spent years warning people of the danger of sunbeds after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2002 and being given just four weeks to live.
However, after travelling to the United States for specialist treatment at the Mayo Clinic, she was able to fight her cancer for nine years, giving her more time with her children and family.
Last year’s ball raised £160,000 and together with this year’s £340,000 the total raised across the eight years is now over £2 million.
Pictures by Marco Federici.
