SNAP Inverness fundraisers ‘just the start’ for Stars In Their Eyes contestant Andy Gill as Johnny Foxes manager eyes up ongoing relationship with Highland charity
One of this year’s Stars In Their Eyes contestants raising money for SNAP Inverness has called the charity a “lifeline” for families.
Andy Gill is no stranger to taking on fundraising challenges, having previously competed in Ness Factor and Strictly Inverness for Highland Hospice.
However, having become friends with Scott and Vicky Macleod through Strictly, SNAP – the special needs action project – has been on his radar for a long time too.
The Macleod’s son, Anthony, uses the service, and Mr Gill recently went along to Drummond Primary School to see the charity in action first hand.
Although he knew that it was a big help to the Macleods, seeing the work that SNAP does up close was still eye-opening, and served as a reminder of why Mr Gill wanted to take part in Stars In Their Eyes.
“Scott and Vicky are two of my best friends, and I think the family would be at a loss without SNAP and the activities they do,” he explained.
“I don’t have kids myself, so it’s my way of giving back to friends that do. I’ve seen first hand what SNAP does, and I got to see for myself the kind of things they put on and why Anthony enjoys it so much.
“It’s crazy how much work goes into it, so it opened my eyes to how difficult it is – not only for the families going through that process, but also getting the word out about it.
“You know it’s there, seeing the amount of work that’s going in behind the scenes opens your eyes.
“These people are working, but they don’t know when their next bit of funding is coming in. Day-to-day, they are just trying to find new ways to keep the charity going.
“They are doing that while also delivering the services to these kids. It’s not like they can take one hat off and put another one on, so I think the work they do is phenomenal.
“Once you’ve got that personal connection, it makes a big difference. There is so little for kids in the area with additional support needs, it’s almost a lifeline service for the families.
“I think this will be a long-term relationship. It won’t just end with Stars In Their Eyes, my heart is set on raising a bit more for them after this journey ends.”
As both a manager at Johnny Foxes and striking out on his own as a humanist celebrant, Mr Gill’s fundraising efforts so far have largely focused around selling tickets to the event itself, which takes place at the Kingsmills Hotel on Saturday, March 15.
However, he will be looking to top up his fundraising tally with two karaoke nights at Johnny Foxes, where singers pay to enter and then the audience can pay to vote for a winner on the night.
For Mr Gill, It is a quintessentially him way of raising money, adding a nice personal touch to a worthy cause.
“I could have done any number of things, but what is more Andy Gill than a karaoke night? I will be in my element,” he laughed.
“It’s really just a bit of me. I love karaoke, and we recently did a post at Foxes where people were supposed to tag a friend that would take over karaoke – the idea was that others would tag their friends, but instead my friends all tagged me! I must have a reputation at this point as the diva that steals the stage.
“The guys from Foxes are all helping out on the night. Karaoke is normally free, but we’re just putting a bit of a spin on it in the hope that people who might usually come out on a Wednesday show their support for SNAP – and me and my fundraising I guess.
“What’s important to me at the end of the day is that we’re getting some money in the pot for SNAP.”
Although coy about who he could be emulating come showtime for Stars In Their Eyes, Mr Gill did give something of a hint, saying the artist in question shares some similarities with his own choice of karaoke song.
“My go-to is actually Gold by Spandau Ballet, because it’s an absolute crowd-pleaser,” he added.
“Many of my artist’s songs are crowd-pleasers as well, but the celebrity that I am going to be doing on the night is someone who is very much like me in the sense that they love the crowd-pleasers, and they’re maybe a bit of a diva as well.”
