Whisky fundraiser for Fife school’s polar challenge

Two whisky tasting fundraising evenings are being held at the Old Course Hotel – the first hosted Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman, and the second by Kingsbarns Distillery manager Peter Holroyd.

Whisky distillery tours, luxury motor yacht holidays, a weekend stay at Glenmorangie House and bottles of whisky are among the items which will also be auctioned off, helping raise funds for the Polar Academy expedition.

Ten Bell Baxter pupils will be taking part in the once-in-a-lifetime challenge, which will see the team take on a 10-day self-guided expedition in Greenland.

Leigh Burdett, whose daughter Lara is among those taking part in the challenge, is part of the team which has been helping raising funds.

She said she had noticed a huge difference in Lara since she signed up to take part.

“We still can’t believe she is going,” Leigh said.

“She’s put in a lot of effort, training, getting strong and fit. Her grades are shooting up. She starting to get straight As.

“She wants to be a vet, but she was starting to doubt whether she could do that. Now her mental attitude is a lot more positive. She has a lot more confidence.”

The whisky tasting events are the last fundraisers to be organised by the group, ahead of the expedition in April.

Leigh said it had been a “challenge” raising the money, but praised local residents and businesses for being “generous”.

The events are taking place on March 21 and 27. To book tickets, search for ‘Polar Academy’ on eventbrite.co.uk.