By
Sarah Johnson
EVERY Sunday we tell you the stories of people who have raised money for our appeal.
 They may have held a coffee morning, run 10K, dressed up like Dennis the Menace or simply saved their pennies
in a jar.
We’re always delighted to hear from them but what about all those mysterious anonymous donations we receive?
Only last week we received a cheque for
£500 from a reader who asked for no publicity.
There was no address, so no way to thank him or her — but such acts of kindness are not uncommon.
Suspicious
Just before Christmas a suspicious looking package arrived in the office.
Wrapped in brown paper the heavy brick-like parcel had us all intrigued.
But not as half as puzzled as when we opened it.
After peeling back layers of wrapping and padding, out fell
rolled-up bundles of £10 and £20 notes.
Christmas really had come early for our appeal.
After carefully counting and recounting the cash — mainly to make sure we weren’t imagining it — we realised we were looking at
£1840.
There was no note. Not even a cryptic clue from the mystery donor.
So to whoever sent us the money, we thank you.
And what about
the man who won £58 when four of his lottery numbers came up? Realising it wasn’t enough to buy the house in the Seychelles he’d always dreamed of, he sent us the money instead.
Initials
But yet again apart from the initials and surname on the cheque we have no way of tracing him.
We received
£20 from a reader who had found the banknote hidden in a book and another sent us
£10 after someone handed her lost car keys into the police.
And then there are the cheques and money and coins that come in with no note at all.
But that doesn’t matter. Even money donated anonymously is still money used for
a very good cause.
One group we can thank properly is Crieff Over-50s Art Class who last year chose us as their nominated charity.
Having already raised over
£200 they sent us a further £95.50 donation after all 28 members decided to give money instead of sending Christmas cards to each other.
Amateur artist and club member, Madge Greenhill said, “Everyone was so enthusiastic. It’s such a worthwhile,
well-thought-out appeal.
“Christmas cards are very nice to receive but we thought it would be far better to give the money to help children across Scotland.”
Lucky
The former nurse, who became a grandmother for
the third time earlier this month when first grandson Callum was born weighing a very healthy 10 lb 4 oz, said, “All children are special and, although I’ve been very lucky, we all know someone whose child has needed hospital care. It really is an appeal that affects us all.”
And regular contributor, artist Ian Andrew from Durham, has sent us £36 raised from the sale of his pen and ink-drawn
notelets. He has now donated more than £600 to our appeal.
It’s continued support
like this that will help us make a difference to the lives of hundreds of children across Scotland.
 IF YOU have a special reason for contributing to or raising funds
for our appeal then we’d like to hear from you. It could be that you’d like to thank caring staff for the treatment they’ve provided in your hour of need.
Or perhaps a relative spent time in one of Scotland’s children’s hospitals and the experience has left a lasting impression
on your family’s life.
Whatever the reason, please let us know.
We’d be delighted to share your experiences with our readers.
And, who knows, it may inspire others to follow in your
fundraising footsteps.
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