Fred MacAulay helps out his old school

perth: Initiative to assist pupils past and present in developing key skills

Scots comic Fred MacAulay turned back the clock to his Perth schooldays to launch an initiative which gives a helping hand to today’s youngsters as they set out on their career path.

Fred joined Perth Academy rector Johnny Lothian and fellow former pupils George Stubbs, managing director of the GS Group, St Johnstone poet-in-residence Jim Mackintosh, journalist and PR Gordon Bannerman, ex-RAF pilot Gavin Davey and teenage track star Ben Greenwood, to roll out the initiative.

The Perth Academy Network is designed to provide assistance to pupils past and present in developing leadership skills and preparing for the world of work.

They were joined for the launch by students Fraser McKay, Jessica Brown and Becky Clark.

Fred, 60, left the academy for Dundee University and a career in accountancy before playing it for laughs on the UK comedy circuit and he begins a Scottish tour at The Venue in Perth on Saturday.

Fred said: “This is a brilliant initiative. Who wouldn’t want to help Perth Academy pupils of today succeed and achieve their full potential?”

The Perth Academy Network, which is the brainchild of FP and former RAF wing commander Gavin Davey and the secondary school rector, has the twin aims of providing former pupils with the opportunity to network and a pathway to offer their experience and expertise back to the school.

Graham Hood Photography. Picture: Back from left: Ben Greenwood, Gordon Bannerman, rector Johnny Lothian, George Stubbs, Fred MacAulay, Jim Mackintosh and Gavin Davey. Front from left: pupils Becky Clark, Fraser McKay and Jessica Brown.