A mum and son have completed a 470-mile pilgrimage from their home in the Channel Islands to Edinburgh to honour their late dad and granddad, who was a huge Hibernian FC fan.
John Slater sadly died in December. The Edinburgh native had passed his love of Hibs to daughter Alana, 32, and his grandson Charlie Mcallister, four, who live in Jersey.
John, who first travelled to the Channel Island in 1979, and Charlie were described as "inseparable" before his death, which happened after returning home from a family holiday, reports Edinburgh Live.
John always told his family that one of the happiest days of his life was when Hibs won the Scottish Cup in 2016, and Alana always wanted to pay tribute to her father by taking her own family to Easter Road. Alana and partner Tony, 44, decided to try and get tickets to the Edinburgh derby on April 15 to take Charlie to his first game, but struggled to source briefs.
However, the kindness of one Edinburgh woman, Dale McGrath, made their dream come true as she offered the trio a set of tickets at the front of the Famous Five Stand.
“We travelled up from Jersey to Glasgow before we got a train through to Edinburgh Waverley for the day of the game,” Alana said. “I couldn’t get tickets as I haven’t been on the Hibernian FC ticket register for over a year, so I posted on the Hibs Facebook groups in a desperate attempt to find some for the derby.
“Unbelievably a kind lady named Dale McGrath got us three tickets in the Famous Five Stand right at the front. She also made up a hamper of things for free out of pure kindness for me and the little one in memory of my dad - I couldn’t believe it.
“The game was so important to me, as it would make my dad the proudest man on earth to see that his adored grandson attended his first Hibs game. Of course it just had to be the Edinburgh derby. My dad cherished Charlie up until the day he died, he spent three and a half years with the little guy before he sadly passed away on December 5, 2022.
“Their bond was unbreakable, he was my dad’s shadow and my dad was so proud of wee Charlie, he spoke about him to everyone and anyone, it’s still extremely difficult to explain to a four-year-old where he has gone but he knows that grandad is now the brightest star shining down on him when he looks up into the sky.
“This was not just special for Charlie, but for me, as ever since I was born my dad brought me up to be a Hibee and I’ve always followed them with such passion and I will continue to do so now that my dad is no longer with us. He will be looking down proud as punch.”
Hibs triumphed 1-0 in the derby, with Kevin Nisbet scoring a winner to beat Hearts and make the family's special occasion even more memorable. Alana says that her dad was a "massive softy" at heart and he would not have been able to hold back the tears if he was able to witness them all at the game.
“We had a blast, Charlie was so so excited and he wanted his picture taken non stop, we even managed to get a picture with the legend that is Martin Boyle as he was leaving the stadium,” Alana added. “He was both mine and my dad's favourite current player, the sun was shining and the win just topped it all off.
“Emotions were running high and the atmosphere was out of this world. I had tears in my eyes from both happiness and sadness as we couldn’t celebrate the win with dad.
“To hear Sunshine on Leith being belted out by all the fans gave me goosebumps, it was incredible, I had a wee moment outside the stadium, extremely overwhelming but a day I’ll never ever forget.
“This helped us as a family by proving we can still have amazing days and make unforgettable memories without dad, but it’s also shown that dad will forever be in our hearts and will live on through us. Here’s to many more games and memories!”
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