And finally…Scottish restaurant group gives away entire £200k profit to charity

It is known for its generous portions but a big-hearted Scottish restaurant group has once again put its money where its mouth is and given away all of its more than £210,000 profit to charity.

It is the second year that The Boozy Cow group, the concept developed by philanthropist Garreth Wood, has given away its entire profits, with almost half a million pounds being donated to date.

News of the windfall comes as Boozy Cow announced funding partnerships with an additional five new charities.

Mr Wood said the £210,000 in profits in the year to October 2016 would be shared among CHAS, the Archie Foundation, the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, Edinburgh and the STV Children’s Appeal.

With a focus on supporting local charities, money will also go to the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund, Stirling Carers Centre, PLUS Stirling and Start-Up Stirling after a Boozy Cow restaurant opened in the city’s King Street in September last year.

Announcing the new charity partnerships, Garreth said profits generated during the business’s current financial year would be going to Charlie House, Cash For Kids, Cornerstone, Grampian Autistic Society and Aberdeen Cyrenians. The announcement came as Garreth unveiled his refurbished Aberdeen restaurant, which opened today.

Mr Wood said: “We work very hard throughout the year to make our units as profitable as possible and we remain committed to giving 100% of our profits back to the local communities by directly supporting charities in the local areas. I am very proud of my team who work tirelessly to achieve this, and would like to thank our loyal customers who help to make this happen.”

Lisa Duthie, director of corporate relations and fundraising at Cornerstone, which provides care and support services for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and other support needs, said: “Everyone at Cornerstone is delighted that we are working in partnership with the team at the Boozy Cow. We have already benefitted from some of their team volunteering at one of our fundraising events and we look forward to spending any monies raised to help the people that Cornerstone supports to enjoy a valued life. However, the value of this partnership goes beyond a monetary donation. Working alongside people who share our values and are as passionate as us about what we do is genuinely priceless.”

Mr Wood added: “We are delighted to make further commitments to our charitable partners in this financial year, even in a challenging Aberdeen economic climate.

“We are achieving steady growth and are expecting the profits to rise with the opening of new sites, starting with the addition of a Dundee site next month. We are very proud to have given away almost £500,000 in the first two years since launching The Boozy Cow.”

Gordon Brown, from the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund, which seeks to build a respite home for children with cancer and their families, said: “When we heard we were chosen by Boozy Cow Stirling it was a huge boost to our charity, not only was the financial benefits a massive boost but it has also helped us spread the word on what we are trying to achieve. We think what you guys are doing is just tremendous and we cannot thank you enough. Lots of love and a huge thank you from all at Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund.”