A CHARITY which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year has now donated more than £1.6million to the needy.

East Renfrewshire Good Causes (ECGC) has also helped 5,413 local people since its launch in 2007.

The man behind the success story is Russell Macmillan, who decided to set up ERGC after receiving a pancreas and kidney transplant.

He wanted to honour the memory of the donor who saved his life, as well as helping others who face similar difficulties.

Russell, 57, told the Barrhead News: “ERGC is a registered charity but is probably better described as a ‘good neighbour club’ which looks to start helping people where the state stops.

“To surpass gifting more than £1,600,000 is just beyond my wildest dreams.”

In the last six months alone, the charity has donated £135,910 to needy people across East Renfrewshire.

Examples include physio sessions for a cancer patient, a baby monitor for a cash-strapped family and a new shower for a disabled pensioner.

ERGC has also provided a travel pass to help a teenager get to school after his family were made homeless, grass-cutting for a disabled serviceman and help for vulnerable people with their fuel bills.

East Renfrewshire MP Kirsten Oswald is among those to praise Russell.

She said: “I’d like to congratulate East Renfrewshire Good Causes on their fantastic achievement of distributing £1.6million in goods and services to over 5,400 people locally.

“This would not have been possible without the hard work of Russell Macmillian, the ERGC team and the local individuals and businesses who support this work.”

The charity take referrals directly from the likes of Women’s Aid and the Citizens Advice Bureau to ensure the money goes to the right people.

In 2011, Newton Mearns man Russell, who has a grown-up daughter, won £121,000 in television game show Holding Out For A Hero, which he gave to ERGC.

The charity accepts donations of a wide range of goods, as well as cash, and passes these to local groups or residents in need of support.

Russell, who is registered blind, added: “The past two-and-a-half years has been a challenge for many within the community, so all the funding we receive is much-needed and always put to the best possible use to benefit locals who require our help.”