From farming to a fund of good causes

charity fund raiser.

He could not possibly have imagined what lay ahead when, after

completing his studies at the West of Scotland Agricultural College, he

spent eight years as a farm manager near Calgary in Canada.

But any prospect of John going through life in the quiet lane went

straight out the window when, during a return visit to Scotland, he

agreed to become Sir Hugh Fraser's stock ranch manager.

Unwittingly, this decision was to engulf John Paterson in board room

intrigue, multi-million takeover battles, and ultimately with the royal

family.

It is his contact with the Princess Royal which has proved most

satisfying for John, as it has allowed him to help raise several million

pounds for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

John managed Sir Hugh Fraser's 10 farms, which between them held 1000

cattle and 2000 sheep for seven years between 1965 and '72, while at the

same time being a director of several of Sir Hugh's private companies.

He then became Sir Hugh's PA, and when Princess Anne and Mark Phillips

were married Sir Hugh asked him to go to Gatcombe Park to help the newly

weds establish a herd of cattle.

John was by Sir Hugh's side during the turbulent battles in the House

of Fraser as Tiny Rowland's Lonrho company fought to gain control of the

store group, and he was deeply saddened by Sir Hugh's death.

He had remained in contact with Princess Anne following his

involvement at Gatcombe Park, and in 1987 he agreed to become the chief

executive of the Mark Phillips Equestrian Centre at Gleneagles.

''I was employed to get the equestrian centre built, and up and

running,'' he recalls, ''and stayed until 1990''.

The next royal call came when the Princess Royal decided to give her

support to launching a charity aimed at helping carers in our society.

''I had discussed with the princess what type of charity she could

become involved in. She wanted something which was not only sensible but

also tackled a real need in society.

''I discussed the matter with several business friends and we came up

with the idea of the The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. It is a

serious area of concern for our society, and one which is too often

forgotten. After all it is so easy to forget that those who care for

sick or elderly relatives need support themselves.''

The trust was launched in October 1991, and John was appointed the

fundraising director. Since then he has helped raise #5m, with #2m of

this total coming from Scotland.

''Our target is to have a carers' centre in every local authority area

in the UK, and to achieve this we believe we need to raise #25m which is

a lot of money but we believe we can do it,'' he says.

When he is not thinking of ways to get more money out of big business

for the trust, John divides his ''spare time'' between overseeing his

Aberfoyle Motor Company, which is involved in timber haulage and school

transport, and his farm.

His wife Lilian breeds Highland Cattle on the 300-acre farm but John

Paterson admits he doesn't get much time to engage in farming

pursuits...he's too busy raising funds.