THE DEDICATION and hard work of two fund-raising groups was recognised yesterday as Blairgowrie Community Hospital was presented with cheques totalling almost £140,000.

The money, raised by the hospital’s “friends” group and nursing staff, has been put toward the construction of two sun rooms and a garden.

Douglas Kidd, chairman of The Friends of Blairgowrie Community Hospital, presented a cheque worth £120,000 while senior charge nurses Kate Wright and Sheena O’Brien represented their colleagues by handing over a cheque for £18,000.

Perth community health partnership general manager Bill Nicoll was on hand to accept the cheques and paid tribute to the fund-raisers.

“This has been a tremendous effort from both the friends group and nursing staff,” he said.

“The staff here at the hospital and the people of Blairgowrie are very fortunate to have had such dedicated people behind this fund-raising campaign.

“The sun rooms will provide a quiet space where people can relax and the gardens will be very therapeutic for all the patients here at the hospital.”

The fund-raising campaign began almost four years ago when the friends received an £18,000 donation from the estate of former Blairgowrie man John Campbell who, as a child, emigrated to Australia with his family.

Mr Kidd said, “We are proud of what we have been able to do and we recognise it could not have been achieved without the generosity and goodwill of many people in the communities who have supported us and to whom we are truly grateful.

“I would like to thank NHS Tayside for agreeing to our request to name one of the sun rooms after the late David Scott, a founder member of the friends and chairman for 18 years.

“I think it is also appropriate that the other sun room is to be named after the Australian emigrant John Campbell whose donation sowed the seed for this project.”