Three leading charities have shared a total of more than £44,000 raised by the Royal Northern Agricultural Society during its 175th anniversary year.

The money was raised at an anniversary dinner-dance, prize draw and auction held at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, on May 7, and at Countryside Live, an event to promote farming, food production and the countryside to the general public, hosted by ice cream manufacturers, Mackies of Scotland, on their farm of Westertown, Rothienorman, on May 29.

Cheques for £14,726.55 each were presented to the three charities – Maggie’s Aberdeen, Charlie House Aberdeen and Muscular Dystrophy UK – at a ceremony at Westertown on August 19.

“The society is grateful for the support received for these two events which has enabled us to make such handsome donations to the three deserving charities,” said RNAS secretary, Alison Argo.

“Our board members and volunteers worked very hard to ensure the success of these events to mark the important milestone in the Society’s history.”

Mrs Argo paid particular tribute to Mackies who donated all the proceeds from the sale of ice cream on the day to the charity fund.

Chief executive of the family business, Mac Mackie, said Mackies were pleased to give the general public the opportunity of visiting a working farm, with its 330-cow dairy herd and on-farm ice cream factory, and to help raise such a magnificent sum for charity.