An Aberdeen society has donated £35,000 to local charities in the north-east as part of efforts to give back to the community.

The Trades Widows Fund Charity, of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, officially donated the money to 18 different causes yesterday at a special ceremony at the organisation’s Trinity Hall on Holburn Street.

The factor of the society, Craig Matheson, said the seven incorporated trades wanted to give the money to groups that could use the cash to do the most good locally.

Mr Matheson, who has been factor for almost two years, said: “We’re very happy to be making this donation.

“It’s a fairly young charity we set up two years ago, and we are still trying to find our feet a little bit with it.

“We thought we would try and do something on a smaller scale, with smaller amounts of money to smaller charities to try and have maximum impact.”

The beneficiaries of the £35,000 donation are the Northfield Community Centre, the Care Hub Aberdeen, We Too, Grampian Hospital Radio, Tillydrone Community Flat, the Russel Anderson Foundation, the Old Torry Community Centre and Befriend a Child.

Also benefitting are the Gerard Street Church, Seaton Community Church, the Team Jak Foundation, Cfine, the Fersands and Fountain Community Project, the Denis Law Legacy Trust, the Printfield Community Project, Abernecessities, the St Machar Parent Support Group and the Cancer and Leukaemia in Children Orientated (Calico) charity.