FUND CLOSING IN ON THE £50K MARK
Friends near their target in memory of their pal Paul
A fundraising group set up in memory of a much-loved Livingston man look set to break the £50,000 mark.
The Paul Lynas Memorial Group was set up three years ago following Paul’s sudden passing after sadly suffering a fatal cardiac arrest in 2017.
Since then, family and friends have raised £46,000 for the British Heart Foundation through a series of events. Paul’s brother-in-law, Ally Fleming, told The Courier that he hopes their latest online auction will take them above the ‘incredibly humbling’ £50,000 figure.
He said: “We’re currently sitting about £4000 shy of that mark before we start our online auction.
“It’s really unbelievable that we’re sitting at that figure and if we’re able to top £50,000 in the space of just three years, it would be incredibly humbling. The whole idea was really just about a group of pals wanting to meet up regularly and chat about Paul and hopefully raise a wee bit of money for charity at the same time.
“That was really the driving force. We just all wanted to talk about Paul.
“Ultimately we all do this because we really enjoy it.
“We would never have imagined we’d be where we are right now, aiming to get £50,000 after just three years.”
He added: “I look back at the first meeting we held when we discussed having a golf day and I think a few of us floated the figure of about £2000 out there and said we would be really pleased if we could get around that.
“We ended up getting £11,000 just from that event alone and that’s really when I think we all realised we could do something very special.”
The group’s plans have been hit over the last 14 months due
to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped them doing their bit for BHF, who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Ally explained:“A few of us did The Kiltwalk this year for the first time and that helped raise about £2500.
“We had big plans for last year, and this year too, but it’s just not happened.
“Everything had to be cancelled. We are hopeful that we can maybe get something sorted for later in the year, but obviously that all depends on the restrictions.
“All we have been able to do is online auctions since the start of lockdown, but it’s still a great way to raise money and we’re overwhelmed by everyone’s support and willingness to give donations in the current climate.
“British Heart Foundation saw their donations halve because of the pandemic so anything at all we can raise for them would be magnificent.”
The group’s auction went live on May 16 and includes items such as signed boxing gloves from Mike Tyson and Tony Bellew, as well as a pair of trousers worn by
Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil during the band’ s‘ Opposites’ tour and a number of fourballs at some of Scotland’s top golf courses. Ally added: “I think that there are really some brilliant items up for auction and we can’t thank everyone enough for their help with the items.
“The response has been utterly phenomenal.
“It’s really amazing what people have been able to do during a really difficult time.”
To bid on any of the items up for auction, visit givergy.uk/PaulLynasMemorialAuction.