Memory of Nairn adventurer celebrated with new charity and fundraising skydive
Family and friends are rallying to pay tribute to a keen explorer and outdoors enthusiast from Nairn who passed away last year.
Liam Finnerty was just 29 when he lost his life, just two days before Christmas, and now his loved ones are aiming to encapsulate his spirit of adventure with a new charity being set up in his name alongside two fundraisers to mark what would have been his 30th birthday this Friday.
“Liam had a heart of gold, he would help anybody,” Liam’s father, Ken, said.
· DONATE: Liam Finnerty's 30th - Skydive For Charity
· DONATE: Munros for Liam Myles Finnerty
“He loved the outdoors and camping, he loved to explore and travel, nothing really stopped him.”
Around 600 people attended his funeral, Ken recalled, with a further 200 live-streaming the service.
“The amount of people that have come out of the woodwork and that I never knew he knew and had helped is incredible.”
A former Nairn Academy pupil who went on studying cyber security in Aberdeen, Liam had travelled the world, making many new friends along the way.
Now Ken, along with wife Sharon and three other trustees, has set up The Liam Finnerty Charitable Trust to enable young people living in and around Nairn, Ardersier, Auldearn and Croy to take part in school trips and activities, as well as establishing a safe space where youngsters can “talk and be themselves”.
Ken, who runs a local taxi company and works as a tour provider, said: “I have visited all the schools in the area and they don't have enough funding to support going away on trips and stuff like that.
“So, the idea is to raise funds so that underprivileged kids can have some funding to go on a trip or for similar activities.”
The aim is to ask people to donate a pound a week, with all proceeds going to the fund.
Around 100 people are already interested in supporting the initiative on that basis.
“If I can get 500 people — out of the around 13,000 that live in the area - that should give us £30,000 to £40,000 a year, and that money would go a great deal of help towards helping underprivileged kids in education,” Ken said.
On the safe place side of things he added: “It's very tough out there for kids these days. I think, as parents, a lot of us put a lot of pressure on our kids. We have lots of expectations on what they should be doing and how they should be doing, and how they should be living their lives. What happens is a lot of kids become suppressed because they don't want to disappoint their parents and families.
“What we're trying to do is trying to make people realise that if you get people open to up a bit more, then maybe you get a better relationship between the parents and the kids.“
Elsewhere two of Liam’s friends are undertaking their own fundraiser for the new charity, aiming to to climb five Munros to mark Liam’s birthday.
The fundraiser is live on the Crowdfunder website under the name “Munros for Liam Myles Finnerty” and has raised almost £1250 so far, with a climb of Ben Nevis planned for June 28.
Liam’s cousin Harley Leith (28) has also gathered 20 people to take on a charity skydive this Friday.
“Me and Liam were really close — we grew up together, and we were friends beyond being cousins,” he said.
“He was just a really generous, great guy. He was always laughing and cracking jokes, there was always laughter when he was about.
“When he died, it was a huge shock for all of us.
“I thought that I could do something in his memory, and that’s where the idea of the skydive came into mind — just thinking about the most mental thing that came to mind! I am actually terrified of heights, but I wanted to face my fear for Liam as well.”
The skydive has already raised £2550 for local charities TeamHamish and the Nairn Men’s Shed.
Anyone wishing to donate, can do so on the dedicated Go Fund Me page: Liam Finnerty’s 30th - Skydive for Charity.
