Westerleigh Group finalises donations to 2022 charity partner in Scotland
A final donation has seen Westerleigh Group give more than £20,000 to Scottish Huntington’s Association, its corporate charity partner in Scotland for 2022.
A cheque for £11,000 was presented to the charity at West Lothian Crematorium to round off a year of fundraising by Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries.
It has 37 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.
In Scotland, the group operates Borders, Stirlingshire and West Lothian crematoria.
In England and Wales, the Group named The Huntington’s Disease Association as its charity partner for 2022 and also raised more than £40,000 for them.
Westerleigh Group donates money to a wide range of charities all over the country every year. But for 2022, it was decided to have corporate charity partners, too.
The Huntington’s Disease Association and Scottish Huntington’s Association both support people affected by the genetic neurodegenerative brain condition.
At the end of 2021, Roger Mclaughlan stepped down as Westerleigh Group’s Chief Executive Officer, after learning he had inherited the faulty gene that leads to Huntington’s disease.
His successor, Debbie Smith, said: “Choosing Scottish Huntington’s Association and the Huntington’s Disease Association as our corporate charity partners for the whole year seemed to be a fitting way for Westerleigh Group to honour, thank and pay tribute to Roger for his leadership.
“Our colleagues across the country got behind our fundraising challenge and found lots of different ways of raising money for the charity, bringing together their local communities in support of their activities.”
Roger Mclaughlan, who has kept in close contact with his former Westerleigh Group colleagues since he left, said: “On behalf of the whole Huntington’s community, I would like to say a huge “thank you” to everyone at Westerleigh Group for their enormous efforts over the last year.
“Not only have they raised an extremely large sum of money, they have also done a great job in raising awareness of Huntington’s disease.
“I am not surprised that the Westerleigh team have done so well as they are exceptionally caring and talented people.”
There were many ways that Westerleigh Group raised money during the year, including donations from funds raised through its metal recycling scheme.
With the consent of families, metals recovered during cremation are recycled and the funds raised from this are donated to charities and other organisations which serve the communities surrounding Westerleigh Group’s sites all over the country, in addition to supporting the corporate charity partner.
Donations were invited for Scottish Huntington’s Association at a number of community events at Westerleigh’s Scottish sites through the year.
And last September, an intrepid team from West Lothian Crematorium took part in the Edinburgh Kiltwalk for Scottish Huntington’s Association, with their Big Stroll – starting and finishing at the BT Murrayfield Stadium – covering more than 13 miles.
Scottish Huntington’s Association Chief Executive, Alistair Haw said: “Thank you to everyone at Westerleigh Group for such generosity and commitment to those whose lives are impacted by Huntington’s disease. The specialist services we provide are relied upon by families, including carers and young people who are themselves at risk of having inherited the disease from their parent.
“The money raised will go a long way to making sure our HD Specialists, Youth Advisors and Financial Wellbeing Officers are there for the families that need us, to help them cope with the devastating impact of this complex and incurable condition.”
