Fund in memory of Strathspey gamekeeper breaks £100,000 barrier
A fund to support the wife and baby son of a gamekeeper killed in a quad biking accident in the strath has now broken the £100,000 mark just a few days after being launched.
David Taylor died after falling off the bike while working at Muckrach Estate by Dulnain Bridge last Tuesday afternoon (August 18).
Friends of the popular 27-year-old known as Wee Davie have been overwhelmed at the level of support for the memorial fund they set up in his name.
Within hours of Monday’s launch, the initial £10,000 target had been reached.
“Christie and Wee David deserve it,” organiser Alistair Loder told the Strathy. “It is an utterly tragic situation.”
One anonymous donor pledged £30,000 on Tuesday and Glenbuchat Estate in Strathdon has donated £5000. The Birkbeck family who own House of Bruar in Perthshire and live locally have donated £1000.
More than 600 people have now contributed towards the fund.
It has been set-up by Mr Loder and Mr Taylor’s fellow friends Neil Brown and Craig Barnett.
They said on the GoFundMe site: “Davie was a hard-working gamekeeper with a cheeky sense of humour and a good friend to many.
“From an early age he had set his heart on following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather on the hill and was proving himself a credit to such a well-known and respected keepering family.
“Having only recently settled into a new job at Lochindorb, his future was assured in a profession that he loved.
“Sharing his journey was his fiancée Christie and their handsome 11-month-old son David, who was the apple of his father’s eye.
“David and Christie were busy planning their wedding for June 2021.”
A private family funeral will be held this Monday and the friends are being asked to wear traditional tweeds in his memory.
The funeral cortège will travel along Main Street in Tomintoul before heading to the village's cemetery to allow locals to pay their respects.
Donations can be made here
