Over the past month, we have been keeping you posted on Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael’s Go Sober for October fundraising challenge with his old friend, party legend Sheila Ritchie. They made hilarious pitches for your money last week.

They both marked the end of their challenge with  fine single malt, Alistair with Highland Park and Sheila with Lagavulin. That they managed a month without booze is remarkable in itself. That they should end up as the top two fundraisers in the UK is even more significant. The grassroots won out on the Establishment, though, with Sheila winning by a considerable margin. The final totals were:

• Sheila: £6069.05
• Alistair: £4440.00

That total of £10,509.05 is going to pay a nurse’s salary for several months.

Alistair had this to say:

MacMillan Cancer Trust deserves enormous praise for organising this hugely successful campaign. Anyone who knows me knows that I do enjoy a dram and there are not many causes that would motivate me to abstain from alcohol but MacMillan Cancer Trust is one of them.

A few times in my life I have seen people who were dear to me lose the fight against cancer and I have seen what MacMillan did to help them and their families. The word ‘inspirational’ is much over-used these days but for the MacMillan nurses that I have seen it is, if any anything, an understatement.

I would like to thank everyone who participated and donated to the campaign. I cannot say that it has been easy but I can say for certainty that it has been well worth it.