The Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund, which is led by volunteers, fundraises to provide cancer respite care for families. A respite home in Thornhill, operated by the charity, was officially opened in 2022 to offer short breaks to young people and their families who have been affected by a cancer diagnosis.
In addition to being named as the Provost’s Charity of the Year, a donation of £1,000 from the Civic Fund will be made to the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund to go towards the running costs of the respite home and provide financial support to families who visit.
The decision to name the fund as the new Provost’s Charity of the year and approve the donation was made at the 22 June meeting of the Civic Panel.
Stirling Provost Douglas Dodds said: “I’m really pleased to be able to recognise the stellar work being done by the volunteers at the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund.
“Many people in Stirling are aware of Eilidh’s story and the effort that been made to realise the ambition of delivering the Eilidh Brown Respite Home in her memory. This facility offers comfort and space for families who are in the midst of incredibly distressing circumstances. I’m proud to endorse them and look forward to highlighting their work over the next year.”
Nicole Brown, Eilidh’s mother said: “We are delighted to be named the Stirling Provost’s charity of the year. It will hopefully be a real boost, helping us maintain and provide the best we possibly can to the families who come to Stirling to spend quality time together in the most trying of times. We thank everyone involved in this decision.”
The charity was established in March 2010 following the death of Eilidh Brown who had been diagnosed with a form of Turner Syndrome. This chromosomal disorder which occurs in 1 out of 2000 girls was thought likely to have made her predisposed to Germ Cell Cancer.
The Eilidh Brown Respite Home offers every family who uses the facility £150 to spend on food shopping and essentials for the duration of their stay.