Scottish soft fruit growers raise 27k for charity

Scotland's fruit growing community has raised more than £27,000 for charity, more than double its previous total.

The Soft Fruit Growers Ball, held in Fingask Castle, in Rait, at the end of November to mark the end of the fruit growing season, has been hailed as a massive success, with three charities set to benefit from the guests' generosity.

The ladies of the Berry Ball committee - Julie Husband, Donna MacDonald, Aileen McDonald, Karen Neill and Julia Grant

Half of the proceeds will be donated to the Royal Highland Education Trust, RHET aims to provide the opportunity for every child in Scotland to learn about food, farming and the countryside, and to create a wider understanding of the environmental, economic and social realities of rural Scotland. The remaining funding will be evenly split between Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia and Alzheimers Scotland, which were chosen by guests on the night.

Aileen McDonald, chair of the committee, said: "The ball could not have gone any better - we are completely overwhelmed with the amount of money we have been able to raise for charity."