Over £97,000 was raised at the third biennial Scottish Transaid Dinner at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel and Spa near Grangemouth on Thursday 4 June.
Key figures from across Scotland’s transport and logistics sectors gathered for the dinner. The fundraising came through ticket sales and sponsorship packages along with an auction held in benefit of the international development organisation.
Sponsors of this year’s dinner included McGill’s Bus Group and RHA alongside Logistics UK and The Malcolm Group. Big ticket items at the auction captured a full hospitality experience for two at the 2027 Six Nations men’s rugby match between Scotland and Italy, plus a Tow-Max Pro twin-axle dropside trailer built by Ifor Williams Trailers.
Hosting was by Scottish comedian and television presenter Des Clark, supported by Anna Devitt. She is a stand-up comedian, actress and presenter who found fame in series seven of Britain’s Got Talent.
Across the three Scottish Transaid Dinners in 2022, 2024 and 2026, a combined total of more than £300,000 has been raised for the charity, reinforcing its work on improving road safety and access to healthcare projects across sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking about this year’s fundraising at the Scottish dinner, Transaid Chair, former Traffic Commissioner for Scotland and serving member of the routeone Awards judging panel Joan Aitken says: “It is inspiring to see the Scottish transport and logistics sector come together with such generosity and enthusiasm.
“These unrestricted funds will make a huge different to Transaid in an extremely challenging donor market for international aid, helping us to support projects that will transform and save lives.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone who supported the evening, through either organising, attending, sponsoring, or donating. Our attention will now turn to planning an even bigger spectacle for 2028, which coincides with Transaid’s 30th anniversary.”
The charity has paid tribute to the organisational efforts for its Scottish Dinners made by Lynsey Craik, formerly of John Mitchell Haulage and Warehousing, together with the support of Ms Aitken, Iain Mitchell, Jim Haldane, and The Malcolm Group colleagues.
