AFTER the shock wore off, one of this year’s Citizen of the Year Award hopefuls admits to have feelings of guilt over her nomination.

Maureen Pearson, from Dollar, said she was delighted to have been put forward for her fundraising efforts for Alzheimer’s Scotland.

However, she said the notice came with an element of guilt as her fellow fundraisers across the country ‘do so much more’.

Maureen revealed she was caught off guard by the unexpected nomination as the notice came through her door.

She said: “I knew nothing of the award until I got the letter through telling me I was nominated.

“It came as a complete shock, to be honest, and soon after I started to feel a bit unworthy of it really.

“There are so many other people who do so much more for Alzheimer’s and they do it all year round.

“I am proud of the event I hold here, and I am proud of the money we are all able to raise from it, but I do feel a little guilty being put forward.” Maureen has been involved in fundraising since 1998, having experienced the effects of Alzheimer’s first hand.

“I do this in memory of my mother,” she said. “She had it and I remember how quickly she deteriorated over the years. It’s awful thing, it really is.

“I was in church one day and heard that Alzheimer’s Scotland is looking for a fundraiser in the area.

“When I heard about the opportunity to do something to help, I just thought I would go with it.”