CITY BUSINESSMAN RAISES £235,000 FOR DEMENTIA RESEARCH IN MEMORY OF HIS FATHER AND FATHER-IN-LAW
An Aberdeen businessman has raised £235,000 for research into dementia after losing his father and father-in-law to Alzheimer’s within weeks of each other.
Charlie Bain and his wife Carol, from Bridge of Don, have spent the last few years organising five charity events to raise money in memory of their fathers, Charles and Roy.
Previous events have raised money to buy the latest research equipment, as well as a minibus for the care home where Charlie’s father was a resident.
After meeting Professor Matteo Zanda, chairman of medical technologies at the University of Aberdeen and director of the John Mallard Scottish PET Centre, Charlie has focussed on funding research at the university.
The £62,000 proceeds from the most recent, a Different Singing Memories dinner held at the Mercure Ardoe House Hotel and supported by major sponsors Apache North Sea Ltd and Entier Ltd, were handed over to the university this week.
The money will fund a dedicated PhD research project into Alzheimer’s.
Charlie, who is director of CEURO Communication, joined three other novice singers to perform live after being taught by composer Professor Paul Mealor, who composed the music for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and his colleague Dr John Hudson.
Charlie donned a matador outfit for his rendition of Toreador Song from the opera Carmen in French and was joined on stage by Carol Benzie, managing director of Aberdeen International Airport; Sylvia Halkerston, consultant and non-executive director, and Bob Keiller, former chief executive of Wood Group.
Charlie said: “It was a fantastic experience, and I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a fantastic evening! I have to thank my fellow first-time singers for being such good sports.
“Not everyone would be prepared to perform in front of such a big audience but we all got into the spirit and I think everyone was rooting for it to be a success and everyone was a winner.
“I’d like to thank Professor Paul Mealor and Dr John Hudson for all their coaching efforts – I hope we did them proud. As a family, we know only too well the devastating impact Alzheimer’s and dementia have so we are delighted to have raised even more money for such an important area of research. Thanks to everyone who attended and to all our sponsors for making this possible.”
Prof Zanda said: “With the fantastic support of this event, the University of Aberdeen will recruit a PhD student dedicated to dementia research. This researcher will study a new class of molecules for monitoring and treating dementia using the hi-tech scanning equipment purchased from the funds of previous events.
“This approach shows great promise and could pave the way for new techniques to monitor dementia and deliver targeted therapies.”
The event was supported by the Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust, whose late chairman Dennis Davidson championed Charlie and helped him to deliver the events before he passed away last year.
Lord Provost Barney Crockett added: “The Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust was pleased to support Charlie Bain’s Different Singing Memories event. Charlie and Carol have raised many thousands of pounds for the cause over the past few years and once again they have raised a fantastic amount to help with vital research into Alzheimer’s.”
Independent of the City Council, the Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust was set up in the millennium to support good causes of all kinds in Aberdeen.
Photo caption: Pictured handing over the cheque to Professor Ian Diamond, principal of the University of Aberdeen, are (from left) Beverley Graham of the LPCT, Lord Provost Barney Crockett, Prof Diamond and event organiser Charlie Bain.
