SNP MSP Jim Fairlie has made one final call for support before he sets off to climb Africa’s tallest mountain to raise funds in memory of his late brother – top chef Andrew Fairlie.
Andrew, a renowned Scottish chef who owned Scotland’s only restaurant with two Michelin stars – the eponymously named Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, passed away in January 2019 after living with a brain tumour for 15 years.
Now the SNP politician, alongside a friend of Andrew’s, is emulating his late brother’s own climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
The late chef (below) scaled the peak of Kilimanjaro in 2011 to raise funds for the hospice that went on to care for him in his last days. It is the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world (5895 metres).
You can support Jim Fairlie's efforts on his Justgiving page.
Following in his footsteps, a team of 22 climbers left Scotland on October 7. They are aiming to raise a total of £100,000 – with half going to the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship and half to the Cornhill Hospice.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Deputy FM John Swinney both voiced their support for the fundraising bid on social media and said they had both donated.
Other politicians, including the Tory MSP and former Olympian Brian Whittle, have also expressed their support for Fairlie’s efforts.
Fairlie, the MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, left Scotland on Friday morning for the trip.
The night before he tweeted: “I have been blown away by the generosity and kindness of folk during our fundraising and training. We are closing in on our £100,000 target for two great charities by climbing Africa’s highest Kilimanjaro.”
On Tuesday morning, Fairlie shared a video from Tanzania, which he said would be the “last post before we hit the mountain”.
In the short clip, he said the “mozzies were a wee bit ferocious but I think we’re all good to go, everybody’s got that kind of ‘och, aye let’s get this done now’”.
Last post before we hit the mountain. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped and supported us. Please share and let us hit the £100k for @HITScotland and @macmillancancer . https://t.co/3IRYtU5Y68 pic.twitter.com/nmIJCQvbjJ
— Jim Fairlie MSP (@JimFairlieLogie) October 11, 2022
“Please, please keep helping to donate and spreading the word that we’re doing this for two fantastic charities,” he added.
Both the FM and Deputy FM showed their support for Fairlie on social media, retweeting his justgiving fundraiser.
Sturgeon wrote: “Best of luck @JimFairlieLogie – great cause in memory of a great man. I’ll be helping Jim get to his target – if you are able to, please do.”
Swinney added: “This is a fantastic adventure by my Perthshire South colleague @JimFairlieLogie to raise money in memory of his beloved brother Andrew.
“If you are able to, please join me in supporting him. All good wishes Jim.”
You can support Jim Fairlie's efforts on his Justgiving page.
