A Perthshire woman who lost her husband to cancer has received a national award in honour of her outstanding dedication to charity.
Kind-hearted Penny I’Anson has been named an Honorary Fellow of Cancer Research UK in recognition of her unflinching loyalty to the cause.
In the past 25 years, she has helped raise £250,000 by organising an annual Christmas fair at Scone Palace. The popular event attracts around 1,500 visitors each year.
Penny was presented with the accolade at Cancer Research’s annual Flame of Hope awards, which mark the remarkable efforts of fundraisers and volunteers from all walks of life.
The mother-of-two was left heartbroken when her husband Roddy died, aged 54, in 1999.
Their daughters, Rosie and Georgina, were still teenagers at the time and his death left a huge hole in the family. Roddy had survived surgery to remove a kidney in 1992 after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, but when the disease returned several years later it spread quickly.
Penny, 63, of Balbeggie, said: “Roddy is missed so much by everyone who loved him.
“I feel sad about the special family moments he didn’t live to see. He would have made a wonderful grandfather to our three grandchildren.”
She said: “When our daughter Georgina got married in 2010, he would have loved the chance to give her away. We held the ceremony on the hill behind our house so it felt like we were closer to him.
“It was torrential rain on the day before the wedding, but the sun came out on the wedding day and Roddy never felt far from us. He will always be such an important part of our family, but I miss the fact that he should be here to enjoy these things.”
Penny added: “I think Roddy would be proud of how the Christmas fair has gone from strength to strength. The fair takes a lot of work every year, but it is definitely worth it.
“I’m proud of how much has been raised to help beat cancer sooner an it’s just become a really important part of my year. I feel really honoured to get this award and it is completely unexpected. I had absolutely no idea that my name had been put forward.”
Penny, who attended the awards with her daughter Rosie, 31, was nominated by the charity’s local fundraising manager Dorothy Rodger.
She said: “Penny is an incredible ambassador for Cancer Research UK.
“She has shown huge commitment to the charity over the years, creating a prestigious and unique event in Perthshire, the only one of its kind in Scotland.”
Over the last 40 years, survival rates have doubled and today, half of people with cancer will survive the disease for at least 10 years.
Cancer Research UK aims to increase that figure to at least three-quarters of people by 2034.
