Colin Montgomerie’s foundation, established in memory of his mother Elizabeth who died of lung cancer in 1991, has set up an influential and committed local board to drive forward Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal. The board will be spearheaded by Appeal Chairman Colin Welsh, CEO of Simmons & Company International Limited, who has had firsthand experience of being diagnosed with cancer. 

Colin said: "The service that Maggie’s provides to cancer sufferers and their families is both invaluable and unique. Aberdeen is the only city in Scotland not to have a Maggie’s Centre and we aim to put that right. Maggie’s Aberdeen will be based on the grounds of Foresterhill Hospital and will offer support to the thousands of people affected by cancer in the region as well as their family and friends."

Representatives from EMF, Maggie’s and NHS Grampian gathered today, Monday 21 June 2010, to celebrate the announcement and to hear firsthand from a family from Dundee about the vital support that a Maggie’s Centre offers. Gordon Kirk, 40, was diagnosed with testicular cancer six weeks after his daughter, Ava, was born – she is now 22 months.

Gordon said: "Maggie’s has supported my wife, Lesley and I, through difficult times. I have met wonderful friends at Maggie’s – both staff and people using the centre. Men think they are indestructible but Maggie’s allows you to feel safe enough to open up and talk about your feelings. Using Maggie’s has made me re-evaluate what is important in life and I’m now a student re-training in a subject that greatly interests me as well as a full time dad for Ava. My wife Lesley also received great support from Maggie’s, as she had so much to face, supporting a husband with cancer and a new baby. I don’t know what our family would have done without Maggie’s."

Maggie's CEO, Laura Lee, added: "We are overwhelmed by EMF’s generosity and commitment to making sure that families in Aberdeen and Grampian do not have to go through a cancer journey alone. At Maggie’s we help people to live with, through and beyond cancer with positivity and hope. It is truly wonderful that through the support of EMF we will now have a Maggie’s Centre in every major city in Scotland, leading the way for the rest of the UK and beyond."

The 2010 Ryder Cup Captain sent his best wishes to the campaign, which will create a lasting a valuable legacy in his mother’s name: "I am extremely grateful to Colin Welsh, the Aberdeen Committee, NHS Grampian and local people across Aberdeen and the Grampian region for joining me to support the creation of this new Maggie’s Centre at the Foresterhill Hospital. As soon as I walked into a Maggie’s Centre I knew that their support would have made a major difference to my family when we were coping with my mother’s illness. I am determined to work with Maggie’s to ensure people living with cancer no longer have to suffer alone."

CEO of NHS Grampian, Richard Carey, said: "It is very exciting to hear the plans today to bring a Maggie’s Centre to Aberdeen. This new centre will complement the comprehensive treatment and support services currently in the region. Maggie’s Centres work alongside the NHS and offer professional, evidence-based emotional, practical and psychological support to everyone facing cancer. This centre will make a great difference to people across the North East of Scotland."

Maggie’s Aberdeen will be based on the grounds of Foresterhill Hospital and will offer support to people affected by cancer across the region, as well as to their family and friends.  

The Press & Journal is supporting the Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal and will be encouraging readers to get involved in whatever way they can to help raise funds for the Appeal.

To donate to Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal contact Maggie’s on telephone number – 01224 471294 / email address: aberdeen@maggiescentres.org. Alternatively, send cheques made payable to Maggie’s, Aberdeen to the Press and Journal offices,
Lang Stracht, Mastrick, Aberdeen, AB15 6DF.