CrossCountry has a big heart in Midlothian!

CrossCountry friends and colleagues John Houston, Vickie Hutchinson, David Brown and Ailsa Gormley wanted to help popular Dougie after learning of his life-threatening illness and so set about raising money that would help him after going through his operation earlier this year.

The team decided to arrange a charity Race Night, auction and raffle which took place at the Heart of Midlothian Supporters Club in Merchiston, Edinburgh. Through the generosity of everyone attending, and helped by CrossCountry colleagues in Leeds, an amazing £1,300 was raised.

Dougie, 53, who was taking part in the fun betting frenzy, had no idea that the money was going to be presented to him and was stunned to be invited up to accept the £1,300 cheque.

Edinburgh-based Dougie who is now recovering well after surgery said; "It really was fantastic what the guys did for me. Words can't describe how I felt when I found out what efforts they'd been to and I really don't know how I will ever repay them. They call me 'Mr Grumpy' at work but that was one gesture that really did put a smile on my face!"

Dougie added; "I've been in the rail industry now for 31 years and have been lucky to have worked with so many great people. My operation was a success and I hope I'm now well and truly on the road to recovery. I'd also like to highlight to all men over 50 that they can arrange a simple prostate screening with their GP which is a process that can really help save lives and identify any problems."

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate gland in the male reproductive system.

Around 60% of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men aged over 70 years. Worldwide, more than 670,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.

CrossCountry is part of the Arriva group which operates transport services in nine European countries, employs more than 37,000 people and provides more than one billion passenger journeys every year. For more information about the Arriva group visit www.arriva.co.uk

CrossCountry started operating on 11 November 2007. The franchise, which is the most extensive in the UK, will run until 31 March 2016. For further information on the CrossCountry rail network and future franchise plans log on to www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

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Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains