A former Scottish cancer charity manager has admitted to stealing more than £95,000 from two charities she worked for, including one she co-founded. 

Lindsay MacCallum, 61, of Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty at Falkirk Sheriff Court to two counts of fraud after stealing money from Rainbow Valley and the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.

Rainbow Valley supports families affected by cancer in Glasgow.

MacCallum founded the charity with Angela MacVicar in 2012 and was the project development manager until she left in 2022.

She was arrested soon after her departure and the charity discovered financial irregularities relating to a bank account.

MacCallum used her position to control a separate bank account for the purpose of running an annual ball and got people to pay money into this account instead of the charity’s official account.

She was given an official charity credit card in 2014 to replace the existing Friends of Rainbow Valley account and told the charity’s board the latter account was no longer being used.

But people were still paying into this account as MacCallum continued to take money from it.

She pleaded guilty to stealing £85,978 from Rainbow Valley at a hearing in Falkirk Sheriff Court on 13 August.

MacCallum also worked as a fundraising manager at the Anthony Nolan Trust from 1995 to 2012 before leaving to co-found Rainbow Valley.

She also pleaded guilty to stealing £9,505 from the stem cell transplant charity.

A spokesperson for Rainbow Valley said: “Rainbow Valley acknowledges the guilty plea entered by Lindsay MacCallum, a former trusted employee.

“These past two years have been challenging, and we are relieved that justice will be served.

“We want to assure everyone that the fraudulent scheme involved funds from a separate account created for this purpose by Ms MacCallum, not from Rainbow Valley’s official accounts.”

Rainbow Valley remains strong and continues to thrive, the spokesperson said.

“Our commitment to providing essential support and tools for those affected by cancer remains unwavering,” the spokesperson said.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their continued support and understanding during this difficult time.”

A spokesperson for the Anthony Nolan Trust said: “We are appalled that a former colleague misappropriated funds from our lifesaving work.

“Our supporters are incredibly generous and often have a personal connection to our cause, so it’s devastating to think some of them donated in good faith believing the money would go directly to help patients with blood cancer and blood disorders.”

MacCallum is due to be sentenced on 8 October.