Wear a kilt to remember Ewen

Funeral attendees asked to wear national dress as family prepares to remember keen mountain biker

Mourners at the funeral of a Tayside man who died in a car crash after suffering a heart attack will be encouraged to celebrate his “amazing life” by wearing kilts.

Ewen Chisholm from Perth had been returning from a day’s mountain biking in the Borders with his 14-year-old son, Cameron, when he fell unconscious and their van careered into a wall.

Both Cameron and the family’s springer spaniel, Bobby, who was also in the van, escaped unharmed but Ewen was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 47-year-old will be laid to rest in his home town of Kirriemuir on Wednesday. He was a keen mountain biker and had been returning from Glentress Forest on October 29.

Having previously worked at CJ Lang and David Sands Ltd, Ewen was most recently employed by Stephen’s Bakery and ran the company mountain bike team.

His father, Alastair, said: “We are encouraging people to wear kilts.

“Ewen disliked formality so it will be maximum kilts, minimum formality and no flowers.

“We are asking that people give donations for the Stephen’s Racing Team, to help keep it going – that will be Ewen’s legacy. If Ewen had a dying wish it would be to keep the team running.

“We are considering having a family biking day at Glenshee in the spring. If that is a success we may make it an annual event.”

Ewen’s outdoor interests comprised more than just mountain biking.

“He was a skier in the Scottish freestyle team and skied to Europa and world cup level,” Alastair said.

“He was amazing and at one point was aiming for the Olympics but it was too expensive for us to keep it going.

“He taught school parties in the Alps in the 1980s and all of them passed to a competent level after being with him.

“In 1991, when we were with CJ Lang, they agreed to a charity walk across the Pyrenees. We offered places on the walk to Spar retailers and they came out to join us for a bit but Ewen and I were the only ones who did the full route.

“Everyone who came out had to raise money and we raised a total of £60,000.”

Ewen was travelling in a Citroen Berlingo on the A6094 when the crash happened at Howgate at 3.40pm.

His parents drove to Perth from their French home near Toulouse after receiving the devastating news.

Ewen’s funeral will take place at the Old Parish Church, Bank Street, Kirriemuir, on Wednesday at 11.30am.

The service will be followed by a walk, led by a piper, behind the hearse to the cemetery.

Mountain biking enthusiast Ewen Chisholm pictured enjoying his hobby and with his springer spaniel, Bobby.