Inverness man's grand gesture in memory of his best friend who died of cancer
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A fundraising fun day has been staged by an Inverness man in memory of his best friend who died of cancer.
Jim Oliver (67), originally from the Easter Ross area, is taking part in this year's Catwalk for a Cause run by the Highland Hospice and The Head Gardner, to help raise awareness and funds for the charity.
He is doing it in tribute to his pal Alan Ross, who died in 2021.
Catwalk for a Cause is a platform for brave individuals from across the Highlands to tell their story about how their life has been affected by cancer or another life-limiting illness.
It’s both emotional and uplifting as it gives people the opportunity to glam up and feel good on the catwalk. A celebration of life, as well as a tribute to those no longer with us.
Jim is now on a mission to 'make his pal laugh from above' as he strikes a pose on the catwalk next month at the Drumossie Hotel.
Each person taking part in the event must secure a commercial sponsor, so Jim has teamed up with The Castle Tavern after many years, and pints, shared there with his best friend Alan.
The pub hosted Jim's fundraiser which featured a range of activities from darts and a raffle, to live music and a comedy show – on Jim's birthday.
"The day and night went as I hoped it would with all attendees joining in the fun," Jim said.
"The first part, from noon until 6pm, was mostly the games and competitions. There was a steady flow of people coming and going and friends from around the Highlands kept dropping in.
"The second part of the day, from 6pm-1am(ish!) was more lively with some live music downstairs and the Rude and Good guys upstairs with their adult comedy show.
"From around 10pm it was sing-song time and many tunes were belted out by the musicians and most of the audience.
"We had people from Australia, Belgium and England who stumbled across the event as they were attracted by the noise.
"They all joined in the fun and bought raffle tickets and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We finished at around 1.30am and I was totally exhausted by then.
"We raised £1739.50 on the day and it was handed in to Emma Nicol, of Highland Hospice, on Monday morning.
"It was a very memorable way to slide into being a pensioner!"
The pair first met in secondary school and clicked from the very start.
It wasn't long until they ventured out into town and made The Castle Tavern their local pub, and became fond of the owner, Les Wilson.
Jim said: "Anyone that knew Alan would say the same as me, he would do anything for anyone and was one of the kindest people you would ever meet in your life."
For years, their friendship grew from strength to strength, until 2021.
At just 63-years-old, Alan's diagnosis came out of the blue.
Jim said: "I was speaking to him on the phone on a Thursday evening and he never mentioned anything about it. Then on Sunday, I was with some family in the area and they said it was terrible news about Alan, but I hadn't heard.
"That was when I was told he had been diagnosed with cancer."
While Alan was told he had 15 months left to live, the cancer rapidly became incredibly aggressive and he sadly died just several months later.
Jim said: "It was just horrible seeing such a beautiful person be affected by such a horrible, horrible disease. It was incredibly tough."
Catwalk for a Cause is set to return to the Drumossie Hotel in Inverness on February 10. Tickets cost £60 per person or £720 for a table of 12.
