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1,000 YEARS HIKE
orth by north west. No, not the 1959 Hitchcock thriller, but that’s the direction Southsea’s Allan Jack will be heading in a couple of weeks’ time. Alan has signed up with 15 other friends and family of the late Stuart Fraser to walk the 96 miles of the West Highland Way, from Milngavie to Fort William, to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK. The hikers call themselves “Stu’s Band of Brothers”, and they have been undergoing training for what will be something of a challenge. For Allan, the local Nuffield Sports Centre has been a second home for him, regularly participating in swimming and cycling classes.
“When the West Highland Way was mentioned a few months ago, it didn’t really appeal,” he says. “But when it was decided to do it in memory of Stuart and to raise funds for such an important charity, I had no hesitation in signing up.” “We’re all exiled Scots from Dundee – apart from Stuart’s brother Garry – and each of us moved south in the 1970s.
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We all got together through one of the exiles, Stuart’s closest friend Ian Crighton. Before long, there were regular social events, football matches and trips to Wimbledon. I moved to Southsea in 2001, but we all kept in touch with a yearly Christmas reunion in London. “We shall no doubt have few aches and pains after the walk, but these won’t last. What will last are our memories of Stuart and his fighting spirit throughout his illness. It’s an honour to walk in his memory and raise funds for a hugely important charity. “We call the walk the 1,000 Years Hike as that’s cumulative total of our ages,” Allan continues, “so as we’re rather long in the tooth, it’s going to be a tough six days. But with Stuart watching over our shoulders, the inspiration will be there from start to finish. When we get to Fort William, we’ll raise a glass, or two, to our dear friend.”
For more information on the 1,000 Years Hike and for details on donating online, go to www.band-ofbrothers.uk
