A MUCH loved Greenock great gran was touched when her family organised a charity ceilidh to mark her 80th birthday and remember her late husband.

Pearl Young turned 80 back in May but other than a family dinner she did not want any presents.

Her family, knowing that she missed her beloved husband Ritchie who passed away in 1996 after a series of strokes, decided to throw her a special charity bash.

Thanks to support from their family, friends and local businesses, the ceilidh raised over £3,000 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland - which supports people with chest, heart and stroke conditions.

Pearl of Nimmo Street, said: "It was a rare night.

"I was shocked when they broke the news they were going to organise a charity ceilidh night.

"My family had already taken me to see Take That at the Hydro and out for a family meal and I thought that would be it.

"The ceilidh was fantastic, it was really good fun."

Pearl's husband Ritchie passed away on Christmas Eve in 1996 at the age of just 64.

Pearl's son John said he and his siblings - Lesley Dalgleish, Carole McFarlane and Ritchie Young - were keen to do something to mark their mum's 80th birthday but at the same time remember their dad.

They decided on a ceilidh for Pearl for a very special reason.

John said: "When I was in my twenties I went into remission from Hodgkin lymphoma and to mark this, my mum organised two or three fundraising ceilidhs which raised about £10,000 for Cancer Research UK.

"So we thought a ceilidh would be very fitting.

"Carole, my sister, suggested raising money for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland so the whole family got together and worked really hard to organise it."

Everyone had a part to play in the lead up to the event, including Pearl's grandchildren Callum and Carly Dalgleish and Kelli and Scott McFarlane, plus his partner Alexis Sinclair and their 16 month-old son Andrew McFarlane.

John added: "Alexis did a lot of the organising.

"She unfortunately lost one of her grandparents at the same time this was all going on but she still did so much to help."

Pearl's family sold over 120 tickets for the event at Cruden Hall and raised funds through a football card ticket for an autographed shirt donated by local football star Greg Taylor, who plays for Celtic.

There was also an auction for a series of fourballs at prestige golf courses in Scotland and a raffle.

The family say they were overwhelmed to raise £3,778 for the charity.

John added: "On the night, I spoke about the fact that if my dad had the stroke now he would probably have survived.

"Medicine has moved on and that is part of the reason we wanted to raise the money we did."

The family handed over the cheque to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland last week.

Lauren MacKenzie and Megan McFarlane, community and events fundraisers from the charity, say the generous donation will help the charity's lifeline work, which includes support groups, rehabilitation teams and advice line nurses.

Lauren said: "We are so thankful to both Pearl and John.

"It is such a lovely way to honour the memory of Pearl's late husband.

"This kind of support means the world to us and all those across Scotland who suffer from our conditions.

"It was definitely a night to remember and I have my dancing shoes on ready to attend the next one."

Pearl and her family would like to thank everyone who made the event such a success, including all their family and friends plus the team at Cruden Hall and the McHart Ceilidh Band.