NEW Cumnock man Stuart Ballantyne helped raise over £1,200 for Parkinson’s UK in memory of his late father with a tribute night at New Cumnock Bowling Club in March.

George Ballantyne, also from the area, passed away in November 2020 after living with Parkinson’s for eight years before his death aged 79.

George was part of a band in his heyday and used to put on entertainment shows to help raise money for charity along with two friends – who both died during the pandemic.

With funeral restrictions ongoing at the time, Stuart decided along with his dad’s late friends’ families that they would follow in their footsteps and put on similar entertainment nights in their honour as soon as they could.

He said: “My dad had Parkinson’s and died at the end of 2020. He used to be part of a band and every now and then they would put on entertainment shows and raise money for charity.

“Two of my dad’s friends who did that with him also died during the pandemic and nobody could get to the funerals, so once restrictions were lifted we put on three event nights for them and the one for my dad was in New Cumnock Bowling Club as he was from the area.

“We got a band called Caledonia Blue to play and some local acts from the district that all knew my dad and my dad knew them. We sold tickets and had a raffle on the night and also auctioned off an overnight stay at Lochside House Hotel. We actually sold off two of them because I lost the voucher and had to buy another.”

Jan Mattison, Regional Fundraiser for West of Scotland, said: “We were honoured that Stuart and his family decided to put on a night in memory of his dad to help raise funds for Parkinson’s UK. We are so thankful.”