Butterflies, not flowers, at Malcolm Scott’s funeral

Malcolm Scott

A CHARITY which supports couples living with dementia will be one of the beneficiaries at the funeral of former Chamber President Malcolm Scott, who died recently at the age of 62.

Instead of flowers, Malcolm’s family have asked mourners to support a collection for the Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group. In addition a memorial fund has been set up in Malcolm’s name at the Cancer Research UK fundraising site.

Malcolm was the founder of Scotts Chartered Surveyors and his desire to help others in business led to him becoming a key figure in the Chamber, where he served as president from 2007 until 2008.

In 2022 he approached the government with an audacious bid to buy the Humber Bridge because he was so frustrated at the impact of the cost of tolls on business and the wider community. The government refused to sell but as a result of his initiative the tolls were halved the following year to £1.50 for cars, a figure which still stands.

Malcolm also served for a time as a director of Hull Kingston Rovers and helped with the club’s acquisition of its stadium.

His commitment to improving the city centre – and in particular the evening economy – saw him play an influential role in establishing Hull Business Improvement District, which in 2006 became the first BID in Yorkshire and such a success that Leeds, Sheffield and York are among the cities to have followed in its footsteps. In 2016 Mal was the first winner of the lifetime achievement category at the HullBID awards

Malcolm became aware of the Butterflies charity as he moved away from the world of commercial property and developed new interests with the Fruit Trade Music recording studio and then the Kardomah 94 arts and culture hub.

June Cooke, who had founded Butterflies in 2010, also did some work making costumes for Ensemble 52, Kardomah’s resident theatre company, and she found Malcolm to be a passionate supporter.

June said: “Mal had helped with a sports quiz night fundraiser at Hull Kingston Rovers in 2013 and at the time he opened Kardomah two years later we were looking for a central location to help us reach more people.

“He said we could move in there at a much reduced rent and he was really supportive when we decided to apply for registration as a charity. We stayed at Kardomah until it closed and Mal was tremendously helpful every step of the way.

“He would sit with you and have a coffee and talk through your problems and about his own career, from leaving a job at the council to set up his own business. Just him being there and being Mal, he was a friend who offered lots of support and advice and was invaluable in a lot of people’s lives.”

Butterflies moved to Stonefield House in King Edward Street where it continues its work helping couples living with dementia to maintain their relationships. June also kept in touch with Malcolm and his wife Alison.

June said: “Mal supported us with the use of Kardomah for so many events – a cinema experience for our members, our pantomime and use of the venue for our City of Culture exhibitions. Alison told me they decided to have a collection at Mal’s funeral because Butterflies was so close to Mal’s heart.”

After treatment for a brain tumour, Mal was unable to continue with Kardomah and the venue closed in 2019. Always a very private person for all his high profile in the community, Mal then dropped out of the public gaze. His recent death after a short illness brought a wave of testimonials and tributes.