A businessman has handed CHAS a stunning Loch Lomond estate and a £1 million donation

A businessman has donated a stunning site to a hospice charity.

Millionaire Peter Armitage – a former global fund manager – and his family have given Ardoch Estate to Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS).

And on top of that the charity will also benefit from a £1 million donation.

The businessman bought the 133-acre estate near Loch Lomond when he retired and set up the Ardoch Foundation as a social enterprise, mainly to benefit children’s charities.

Now he has decided to transfer all its assets – an 18-bedroom conference centre, event space, and cottages – to CHAS. He said: “Ardoch has a canny way of putting everything in perspective. It generates hope, joy, laughter and friendships.

“Our neighbours, CHAS, can leverage this magic and share it much more widely than I can. Ardoch has a very exciting future ahead.”

Rami Okasha, who will take over as CHAS chief executive from the start of February, said: “In so many ways, Ardoch is perfect for CHAS: to help us support more families in new and diverse ways and to begin to realise our ambition to create a centre of excellence for palliative care services. Ardoch is a very generous gift, but it also carries great responsibility.

“For that reason, we have spent almost a year consulting with our professional advisors and the current team at Ardoch to fully understand how the centre functions, and how we could make it work for our families, our staff and volunteers and our service partners.

“Amazingly, the gift also includes £1 million as a cash donation. While this is a magnificent amount, it does not detract from the need for the hugely valuable work done by our volunteers and fundraisers, up and down the country, who are working with us to achieve our goal to reach more families.”

The charity will take over the estate on a phased-basis, and is set to take on its full operations by July 2021.