Jock’s Mount Etna mission for fire funds
A well-known Scone man is looking to summit Mount Etna to raise £2000 for charity.
Jock McInnes MBE is planning to trek the volcanic mountain on the isle of Sicily in his kilt to raise money for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Family Support Trust. He will leave for the expedition on Saturday, August 26, for eight days.
The 61-year-old told the PA he’s looking forward to his latest challenge, having previously conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Toubkal, Mount Elbrus, the Sahara Desert and the Gobi Desert, and last year took part in an aid mission to the mountains of Nepal. He was awarded an MBE from the Queen in 2014 for his fundraising efforts.
Patriotic Jock, who served in the Black Watch, has undertaken each of his challenges in a kilt.
He explained: “Remember our nationality!
“Ten years ago I went to Borneo in a kilt, and ever since I have just carried on wearing one.
“It was very cold when I trekked the Caspian mountains in Russia. I had to wear underpants on that one, but not on any of the others,”
A unique part of Jock’s trip is the special saltire which accompanies him.
Jock was in the army for 22 years, and writes the names of fallen soldiers on the flag to take with him on his trips.
He explained: “I am taking the flag with me again. The flag is unique, I have been asking around other regiments like the Gordon Highlanders and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and no one has something like this.
“I first bought it when I went to Kilimanjaro after going on tour in Iraq and Afghanistan. All the boys who died there, I thought ‘they are coming with me,’ so every trip I have added the names of the soldiers who have died onto the flag. It could either be in active service or of natural causes, but all died too early.
“It is the very first thing I pack. I just want to let them know we are still thinking about them even though they are no longer with us.’’
Jock is raising money online through a Virgin Money Giving page, but hopes
Jock McInnes, left, with his flag in Nepal to boost his total with a charity boxing match in Perth’s Queens Hotel on Saturday, May 27.
All the money raised will go to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Family Support Trust, a charity close to his heart.
He added: “I have seen the great work they are doing, and it is very much needed. You don’t need the fire brigade until you are in an emergency yourself.
“Some of the money will go towards provided respite care. The rest will go towards grants for firemen who have passed on and their families left behind, and hardship funds.”
You can help Jock McInnes MBE’s charity trek up Mount Etna, one of Europe’s highest mountains, by donating at http://uk.virginmoneygiving. com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/ showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl= jockMcinnes+MBE&faId=812475&isT eam=false