Scots star's award for charity hero

Hollywood actor Gerard Butler has presented an award to the founder of a Scottish charity for his work feeding hungry children.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow flew to Los Angeles to pick up the prize of 16,000 for the charity Mary's Meals, which he founded in 1992. The former salmon-farmer from Argyll shared the stage with the Paisley-born PS I Love You actor at a ceremony in Hollywood.

Mr MacFarlane-Barrow was the only British nominee for the CNN Hollywood Heroes show, an award scheme which recognises "ordinary people having an extraordinary impact".

Butler praised the charity worker whose organisation provides school meals for hungry children in developing countries.

He said: "I'm proud because he's a fellow Scot. Every day Magnus lets children know that they matter, that someone thousands of miles away cares about them."

Mary's Meals was founded when Mr MacFarlane-Barrow and his brother Fergus made a plan to deliver aid to Bosnia while having a drink at their local pub.

Mr Butler said: "They were having a drink and talked about the heart-wrenching images of the Bosnian war they'd seen on TV. So they made an extraordinary decision that most of us don't make. They decided to help."

Mary's Meals provides a school meal a day for almost 460,000 children in 16 countries.

Mr MacFarlane-Barrow said: "It's wonderful to be able to receive this award on behalf of the thousands of people who are working to realise our vision."