SNP MSP Jim Fairlie is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with an “intrepid band of explorers” in October to raise funds in memory of his late brother who passed away after a 15-year battle with cancer.
The SNP MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire is in training with the climbing team. They are regularly out in hills and Munros around Scotland in preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime challenge to scale the mighty Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing mountain above sea level, reaching 19,341ft above sea level.
His brother Andrew Fairlie passed away in January 2019 after living with a brain tumour for 15 years. Andrew was one of Scotland's top chefs and owner of the only two Michelin Starred restaurant in the country.
Andrew himself scaled Kilimanjaro in 2011 to raise funds for Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland (HIT), an organisation dedicated to creating scholarships and training opportunities for the hospitality industry.
Andrew and a group of fellow passionate supporters decided to cook the world's highest Burns Supper on top of Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the charity.
His brother decided to emulate the Kilimanjaro climb in his memory, with the purpose of raising funds for the Cornhill Hospice where Andrew spent the last few months of his life.
Fairlie said: “I had broached the subject of maybe joining Andy’s group in 2011 to do the climb then but it was clear he wanted to do that one for himself. He had actually stopped his chemotherapy to do it. It was as his wife Kate said, ‘a punch in the face to the tumour that it couldn’t stop him climbing the mountain.’ That typified Andy to be honest.
“I had a long chat with him just before he died about all the things he had achieved in his life and he was comfortable that he had no regrets, he’d done the things he set out to do.
“He knew there was a scholarship being set up in his name which would be his legacy to the industry he loved and dedicated so much of his life to, and that was clearly hugely important to him."
The team of 22 climbers are leaving on October 7 to start their climb two days later, and are hoping to raise a total of £100,000 with half going to the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship and half to the Cornhill Hospice.
The chief executive of HIT Scotland, David Cochrane, will be joining the MSP. Cochrane organised the first climb and has supported Fairlie this time around. Cochrane was the first person Fairlie called when he decided to embark on the challenge.
That was back in late 2019 but then of course Covid hit and the trip had to be cancelled. It was rescheduled to go in late 2021 but again Covid made it impossible. This is, hopefully, the third-time lucky.
Fairlie said: “I have to say at this point it’s been a struggle to keep the momentum going through Covid and to keep focused on what we were trying to do. So many things changed and lots of people who set out to do it with us have since pulled out.
“I wasn’t elected at that point and so had to find time during recess to do the training and dates that we could actually climb. It has undoubtedly been to David’s enormous credit that he has kept the show on the road. He has brought new people in and continued to manage all the spinning plates. I really don’t know how he’s managed it to be honest, he’s been brilliant"
If you wish to contribute to the climbing fundraiser, then click here.
