Evening in memory of Carluke's Joan raised £23,000

Further donations since have boosted that total to around £25,000.

Gazette readers may recall how Joan, the 53-year-old wife of local stock car ace Kenny Purdie, lost her fight against a rare form of cancer despite a massively successful fund-raising campaign to buy her special medical treatment not available through the NHS.

Joan died before that could take effect.

But it was decided to follow her dying wish that the remnants of the fund would form the basis for a five year campaign to raise at least £100,000 for the St Andrew’s Hospice.

The Purdie family and friends set themslves the task of raising £20,000 a year - and met and surpassed the the 2017 target in a single evening with a fund-raising ball at the Radstone Hotel near Larkhall last week.

Ticket sales, raffles etc. raised an amazing £23,000 on the evening, and a cheque for that amount was presented to delighted hospice representative John Brady.

The Purdie family and friends thank all who supported the event with special thanks going to DJ George Bowie and band The Waterfront for entertaining everyone attending.

So successful was the ball, the organisers have already booked the hotel for January 27, 2018 for what will now be an annual event in Joan’s memory.

Not that folk wanting to back the St Andrews Hospice Joan Pudie Appeal will have to wait until then to support this fine cause.

Joan’s widower, Kenny, is holding a major motorsport meet at Lochgelly this Sunday, February 26.

Gates are open at 1pm, tickets available ‘at the door’.

This event will feature several classes of stock car racing including classics and micros.

A collection for the hospice will be taken during the event.

A similar meet staged by Kenny last summer raised around £18,000 for the cause and hopes are high that Sunday’s event will be even more successful.

Said Kenny this week: “This is what Joan wanted us to do and our thanks go to everyone who is supporting the appeal.”