Six Scottish celebrities who are giving back

Andy Murray

The former Wimbledon champion smashed his own charity pledge after raising more than £80,000 to help the charity Unicef protect Syrian refugee children.

Murray announced last September that he would donate £50 for every ace he hit until the end of the year.

The money, raised during the Andy’s Aces campaign, will help Unicef in its efforts to help children whose lives have been torn apart by the Syrian conflict.

Murray said decided to take action after watching the news last summer with every ace scored on the court bringing the player a little added satisfaction, he said.

Murray’s sponsors, the Lawn Tennis Association and ATP matched his donations - while the Government also matched public donations.

Funds were also raised from the Tie Break Tens tournament and the ATP Aces For Charity programme.

In 2014, Murray was named the ATP’s Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in recognition of his charity work.

It followed his work on the Rally For Bally event at Queen’s earlier in the year in memory of player and friend Elena Balatcha, who died of liver cancer in May.

He is also a founding member of Malaria No More UK leadership council. At its launch he played tennis against David Beckham – over the world’s longest tennis net.

Murray also supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which allows children with life limiting illnesses to fulfil their dreams.

J.K Rowling

J.K. Rowling has given away more than £100m of her fortune to charities and good causes, with women and children most likely to benefit.

In 2005, she co-founded Children’s High Level Group (CHLG) with Baroness Emma Nicholson MEP, after reading an article about children sleeping in cages in institutions in the Czech Republic.

A special edition of J.K. Rowling’s book The Tales of Beedle the Bard was auctioned for CHLG in 2007, raising £1.95 million, and the following year this title was published in aid of the charity, quickly becoming the fastest-selling book of the year.

In 2010 the charity was renamed Lumos, and works to end the systematic institutionalisation of children across Europe.

She has made several private trips to Eastern Europe to see the charity’s work in progress, journeys which she has admitted were emotionally harrowing.

Also in 2010, the author also donated £10m to a new clinic at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland which leads research into Multiple Sclerosis.

It was named Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic after her mother, who died of Multiple Sclerosis aged 45.

Her charitable trust, Volant. Supports a number of projects, mainly those which alleviate social deprivation and supports work on women’s and children’s issues.

In 2012, she was knocked off Forbes list of World’s Billionaires with the publisher claiming her “high tax rates and charitable giving” had depleted her wealth enough to push her out the league.

Then it was estimated that she had given away $160m – which is worth around £112m today.

Rowling has also written two short books with a Harry Potter theme for Comic Relief and supported Maggie’s Centres for Cancer Care as a patron for several year.

The writer also gave £1m to the Labour Party in 2008.

Sam Heughan

Star of Scottish time-travel drama Outlander has been fundraising to beat blood cancer since 2011 in tribute to friends and family who have suffered from the disease.

The actor, originally from New Galloway, has notched up several half and full marathons for charity Bloodwise and completed his first triathlon in 2013.

Last year, he organised my My Peak Challenge in aid of the charity after seeing a number of those close to him in painful health battles.

He recently became a patron of Scots male cancer charity Cahonas and has led a campaign urging men to check their testicles for signs of the disease.

Outlander star Sam Heughan launches 2016 My Peak Challenge

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor has become a powerful ambassador for UNICEF with his commitment beginning in 2004 when he and Charlie Boorman embarked on their Long Way Round motorcycle adventure.

The pair wanted to get a charity on board and UNICEF agreed that they should visit three of its projects as they headed east, motorcycling from London to New York.

THey visited children in Chernobyl, Khazakstan and Mongolia - and a partnership with UNICEF was born.

The Star Wars and Trainspotting star, originally from Crieff, Perthshire, is frequently called upon to lead UNICEF’s crisis campaigns. Most recently he called upon £3 donations to buy blankets for Syrians sleeping in refugee camps.

The value of McGregor’s backing for UNICEF could be clearly seen during the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. More than £2.5 million was made on that night after he made a video plea for dnoations to a worldwide audience of around one billion people.

Annie Lennox

Aberdeen-born singer and musician Annie Lennox has been an impassioned fundraiser and campaigner for HIV charities, particularly those that support work in Africa and South Africa, for more than 20 years.

Her involvement began in 2003 after she an Eurythmics co-star played a charity concert in Cape Town to raise funds for AIDS research and treatment.

Shortly after, Lennox formed the SING Campaign to help women and children affected by the illness.

She called upon 23 of the world’s most famous female singers - including Madonna and Celine Dione - to record a track which went on to raise around £100,000 for the cause.

Lennox’s efforts have been rewarded with several large donations - including $500,000 (around £340,000) from the charity that supports TV show American Idol to Treatment Action Centre in South Africa - a main beneficiary of the SING campaign

In 2010, Lennox decided to donate money raised from sales of her single Universal Child to SING.

The following year, Lennox was honoured with an OBE for her charity work.

Alan Cumming

Alan Cumming received his OBE in 2009 for both his acting work and his support of gay rights organisation in the US.

His supported charities include Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Cumming, originally from Aberfeldy, Perthshire, also backs Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation, set up in memory of model and actress Gabrielle Rich Aouad who died after suffering acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) aged 27.

In 2011, the actor launched a second fragrance - called 2nd (Alan) Cumming, with all proceeds going to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.