Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist and SSE ambassador Eilidh Child surprised her nominated charities and athletics club with tickets to the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year event at The SSE Hydro.
The coveted tickets were donated to the Beatson Cancer Charity, Pitreavie Athletics Club and the SSPCA .
SSE, which sponsors Glasgow and Scotland’s premier entertainment venue, asked Eilidh Child to donate the tickets on its behalf.
Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton won the main award on the night with more than a third of the votes cast. Other nominees included golfer Rory McIlroy, who came second in the vote, and athlete Jo Pavey who took third place.
Charlene Elliott, Head of Fundraising for the Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “We are extremely grateful for the kind and generous offer of tickets to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event. Our patients at the Beatson undergo some extremely difficult treatments, often for long periods of time.
“This gesture allowed us to offer some of the patients a break from what they are going through and enjoy a night to remember. Please extend my thanks to Eilidh and everyone at SSE who made this fantastic gift possible.”
Scottish Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg, who presented the Unsung Hero award to swimming coach Jill Stedever, was joined at the event by a group of SSE’s Next Generation Athletes.
Libby said: “SSE's support for young athletes makes the world of difference. It helps them at that key point in their career where their main support is the bank of mum and dad.
“It's not just the financial support, attending events like Sports Personality of the Year really inspires you to go on and hope to be one of the winners on that stage in the future. That's why the SSE Next Generation scheme makes such a difference to young athletes and their careers.”
SSE’s Next Generation programme provides young athletes from Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland with vital support including financial aid and mentoring from elite athletes to help them achieve sporting excellence.
The Next Generation Athletes, aged between 13 and 27, have been identified as potential Commonwealth Games and Olympic medallists of the future.