She ran the gamut of emotions as she stood in the empty centre — joy, relief, satisfaction, sadness. For after almost three years of concentrated fund raising, Dundee’s new centre, designed by the eminent architect, Frank Gehry, was finally finished.

No more hard hats, no more wires, wood or woeful expressions, wondering if the project would ever be finished.

It was finished, and ready for tomorrow’s opening by Sir Bob Geldof.

Not that Valerie ever thought it wouldn’t be, but she would be less than honest if she didn’t admit to a few doubts over the months.

After all, it is a tall order, to say the least, to raise £1.3 million, even given Taysiders’ and Fifers’ legendary generosity for support of such good causes.

Sitting in the beautiful space that will be a meeting room cum relaxing area, she reflects on the roller coaster journey which has been hers and that of the project over the last 30 months.

She applied for the job as fund-raising manager just 19 months after the death, from cancer, of her husband Gary at the age of 39.

Says Valerie, “I can remember coming down here and it was just a green field at the back of Ninewells Hospital.

“It has been amazing to watch it taking shape over the months. I have never watched weather forecasts the way I have over the last couple of years.

“I can tell you exactly when we had 28 days of consecutive rain, for that spell of weather really caused havoc.

“Then we had all the problems with implementing the design, especially the roof. But the craftsmen have done a terrific job.

“And we have the best location of any of the Maggie’s Centres in Scotland. From the outset I could see the location was absolutely perfect for such a centre. Then I was shown Frank Gehry’s design for the building and I was hooked.

“I was just fascinated by the design. It is everything it should be, light, spacious and welcoming. It is very special and everyone in Tayside and Fife should be very proud of the fact that we have this beautiful building.”

Valerie is the first to admit, however, that no matter how avant-garde architecturally, or how beautiful it is in terms of interior design, without the people inside it, it would be but an empty shell.

Thus she is enthusiastic about the staff who will work there. She says, “Everyone in this area should be equally proud that we have a team of people coming in here to do what will be an amazing job of work.

“The building goes hand-in-hand with the people coming in to do the work, which is to give time and support to cancer sufferers and their families.”

Valerie knows only too well what precious commodities these are, and she would have loved a Maggie’s Centre on her doorstep when Gary was dying of cancer.

She admits that he has spurred her on, in the most difficult times, and that much of what she has done has been her tribute to her husband’s bravery.

“He used to say to me that he couldn’t talk to me about what it was like, as he didn’t want to worry me further, or burden me any more. I know what it would have meant to him to be able to talk to fellow sufferers in a place like the Maggie’s Centre.

“Not that the staff at Ninewells weren’t brilliant, for they were. But they don’t have time to sit and discuss fear

and worries with every patient. They have a very different job to do.

“When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the last thing they need is additional stress like trying to find out what support services are available.

“The Maggie’s Centre pulls all the information together, so it is all available under one roof.”

To those who have never visited a Maggie’s Centre, the suspicion might be that they are places of doom and gloom, given that people are dealing with serious illness, and in some cases, terminal illness.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is a notion which is dispelled by the Gehry building itself, immediately on entering it.

It is light, it is bright, it is airy, it is spacious, it is an oasis of calm, even amid the flurry of last-minute preparations for tomorrow’s opening.

It is welcoming, yet unobtrusive in the way it offers that welcome, somehow reflecting the close, yet necessarily distant, support system which has become the Centres’ hallmark.

Once the Centre is fully operational, there will be numerous services on offer, from nutritional advice to discussion groups offering psychological, emotional and practical support.

There is a library, the result of a terrific fund-raising effort by a Perthshire family in memory of their young daughter, which offers a comprehensive list of books and publications to help sufferers and their families.

Cancer patients and their families can avail themselves of all of the resources on offer, or none. For upstairs, a most beautiful haven has been created where people can simply sit and reflect and lose themselves in the glorious view down the river, to steal a few moments to come to terms with the events in their life, if that is what they need.

At tomorrow’s opening, Valerie won’t have much time for such reflection, amidst all the VIPs who will be there.

She regrets, of course, that Gary won’t be there to share the moment with her, “though he’ll be with me in spirit, of that I’m sure.”

Their nine-year-old son, David, will be there to bask in Mum’s reflected glory, and Valerie is absolutely delighted about that.

She says, “He’s been such a part of all this, and a huge support to me. My No.1 helper, in so many ways. For me, he’ll be the most important person there.

“But tomorrow isn’t about me. It’s about all the countless people who have contributed in any way to this project, whether they put 50p in a can or donated thousands of pounds.

“The opening of this centre is the realisation of a dream for so many people. In an ideal world, there would be no need for such centres, for there would be no cancer to rob people of their lives and families of their loved ones.

“But life isn’t perfect, so there is a need for Maggie’s Centres, where people can feel welcome and safe, where there is support available when people need it.

“If we do that, we will have achieved what we set out to do.”

Tomorrow’s opening is undoubtedly a big day for everyone involved in the Maggie’s Centre, representing as it does the completion of the project.

But it is also a new beginning. The centre is now open, but it has to be run, and it will take an estimated £250,000 a year to keep it functioning.

Everyone involved is to be congratulated on a job well done, but if Valerie has a message, it would undoubtedly be, “Keep up the good work”.

Those sponsored slims, parachute jumps, pub crawls and karaoke sessions are still very much needed. Anyone seeking information on how to raise money for the Maggie’s Centre can contact Valerie on 01382 496384.

Anyone in need of the services of the Centre need only walk in the door on Monday.