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Nairn chippie cooks up more than £800 cash for new charity in Reece's memory


By Louise Glen

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Dolphin Chip Shop in Nairn held a good fundraising on National Fish and Cip Day..Donna, Aden and Alan Dallas...Picture: Callum Mackay..
Dolphin Chip Shop in Nairn held a good fundraising on National Fish and Cip Day..Donna, Aden and Alan Dallas...Picture: Callum Mackay..

A Nairn chippie raised more than £800 in one weekend for a charity set up in memory of a popular teenager.

Dolphin Chip Shop donated £1 for every supper sold on Friday and had collection buckets out for the newly-formed group, Reece’s Line.

The foundation is being set up after the death last month, by suicide, of 18-year-old Reece Spark.

The Main Street chip shop owners, Alan and Donna Dallas with son Aden and colleagues, organised the fundraiser to show the strength of support in Nairn for the foundation.

They also wanted to support their former colleague of 17 years Doreen “Dotty” Cochrane, Reece’s mum.

Mrs Dallas said: “We want to thank all our customers for their generosity on ‘Fryday’ September 4 for raising money toward the setting up of Reece’s Line.

“Friday was National Fish and Chip Day, and we at the Dolphin donated £1 from every supper or bag of chips sold to the fledgling charity.

“This is a charity being set up after Reece Spark, a young man took his own life just recently in Nairn.

“Dotty his mother worked with us here for 17 years. We also had a charity bucket for donations. We were touched by the amount of people who came into the shop and donated some money without buying, as they knew the bucket was there.

Dolphin Chip Shop in Nairn held a good fundraising on National Fish and Cip Day..Donna, Aden and Alan Dallas...Picture: Callum Mackay..
Dolphin Chip Shop in Nairn held a good fundraising on National Fish and Cip Day..Donna, Aden and Alan Dallas...Picture: Callum Mackay..

“The amount of £492 was raised through the meals and £357.99 from the bucket, making a final amount of £849.99. If this money only ever goes toward helping one person locally to get them through a dark time, then it’s a ‘job done’.”

Publicly thanking the people of Nairn for all their efforts, Billy Spark, Reece’s dad, wrote a message on social media, saying: “Firstly, let me start by saying a massive thank you to Leanne Okane for her Go Fund Me page and tireless effort to keep it going to raise as much as possible for our beautiful son. You are amazing.

“As well as the efforts of all of our son’s amazing friends – we love you all – who climbed Ben Nevis, along with our nephew Scott Walker who raised money too.

“A massive thank you to Allan Greer who is working on a web page and mobile phone app to support the foundation. You are a true gentleman.

“We can now confirm that the money has been deposited to an account to begin setting up a foundation in Reece’s name to help the young people of Nairn and surrounding areas in an effort to support anyone struggling with mental health.

Dolphin Chip Shop in Nairn held a good fundraising on National Fish and Cip Day..Donna, Aden and Alan Dallas...Picture: Callum Mackay..
Dolphin Chip Shop in Nairn held a good fundraising on National Fish and Cip Day..Donna, Aden and Alan Dallas...Picture: Callum Mackay..

“ It has been the toughest three weeks of our lives but thanks to Nairn friends and family far and wide, we love and appreciate you all.”

Donations in memory of Reece can still be made at https://uk.gofundme.com/f/for-reeces-final-journey

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