Latest news with #Eilidh
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Retired detective who took on 2,500-mile cycle to Africa for charity awarded MBE in King's Birthday Honours List
Retired Bridge of Allan detective Johnny Dreczkowski has been awarded an MBE for his services to a local charity and respite home in the King's Birthday Honours List. A retired police detective who has taken on multiple gruelling charity efforts was celebrating this week after receiving an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours List. Johnny Dreczkowski was named as a recipient of the prestigious award for his services to a local charity. Earlier this month, Johnny, 57, completed a 2,500-mile charity cycle from iconic Stirling Castle to Morocco in aid of the Eilidh Brown respite home. The respite home is run by the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund – set up by the family of the tragic Stirling schoolgirl. Eilidh sadly lost her battle with a rare germ cell cancer on March 25, 2010, just nine days shy of her 16th birthday. Her dying wish was to have a respite created close to her home in Stirling. That became a reality back in 2023, when her family oversaw the opening of the respite home in Thornhill. Johnny – a former Detective Inspector who served as the Head of Counter Terrorism and Covert Specialist Training – has undertaken several huge efforts to raise much need fund for the charity. Prior to his cycle to Morocco, Johnny, from Bridge of Allan, he embarked on a bike ride stretching 875-miles – from Land's End to John O'Groats – i n May 2021, His impressive record doesn't stop there, he has also conquered the West Highland Way, the demanding North Coast 500, took on the Three Peaks Challenge, persevered through the Cateran Yomp 24-hour Challenge, and completed the London Marathon. In May 2023, he undertook a solo cycling expedition covering 1,400-miles, from Stirling Castle to the Colosseum in Rome, with the aim of raising funds for the respite home. Just last year, he impressively cycled around the entirety of the UK and Ireland in a mere seven days. Johnny's close ties to the home don't end there though. His wife, the architect Ally Croll, was instrumental in making the home a reality as she worked hand-in-hand with Eilidh's family. On receiving the MBE, Johnny said: 'I am truly grateful and humbled to have been awarded the prestigious MBE by His Majesty The King in his Birthday Honours List, and very thankful to those who nominated me. 'Although I'm the recipient, every single person, family, friend, sponsor, and well-wisher who has supported me and the Eilidh Brown Respite Home over the years, has a hand in this success, and I'm sharing it with each of them.' He added: 'I'm just floored and overwhelmed by their love and support and I feel it in my heart. To work with them, as we try and make a difference in the lives of children with cancer at Eilidh's is the privilege of my life, and I'm grateful to Gordon, Nicole (Eilidh's parents) and the family, to be able to help. 'I'd like thank my darling wife Ally, who's stalwart support of my endurance challenges and fundraising is nothing short of remarkable, and none of what I have achieved could have been done without that unstinting love and support. 'To my mother Margaret and my late father Mitch, I am the sum of my upbringing, and I owe my values, my work ethic, my concern for others and sense of community to you both. 'To my daughters Emma and Zoe, a father can only strive to make his daughter's and family proud, thank you for your love and support.' As part of Johnny's most recent charity effort, he set off from Stirling Castle at the start of May and undertook a solo and unsupported cycle through seven countries, across two continents, spanning three different time zones – all within a mere 34 days, reaching the finish line in Marrakesh. That has so far netted more than £30,000 for the home, with the finally sum yet to be tallied. In her valiant fight against this illness, Eilidh and her family, who are from St Ninians, Stirling, cherished their time together at Calum's Cabin, a respite retreat on the Isle of Bute. It was that experience that left Elidih hoping for a respite centre much closer to home. The Eilidh Brown Respite Home requires a whopping £50,000 per year to operate and Johnny's efforts have all been with that in mind. When Johnny reached Marrakesh earlier this month, Eilidh's proud dad, Gordon, said: 'Johnny has been an amazing, constant support since the very start. It astounds us as a family the lengths he goes too support us – he is a machine and we are so very proud of him and full of love.' Over the years, Johnny's relentless efforts have helped raise more than £100,000 for charity, thanks to the steadfast support of friends, family, and the local community.
STV News
14-06-2025
- General
- STV News
Lifeboat legacy: Family marks Father's Day by saving lives at sea
A Fraserburgh lifeboat crew will be on call as usual this Father's Day – but for one family, it's more than a shift. It's a legacy. Four members of the Sutherland family – Coxswain Vic, his daughter Eilidh, brother David, and nephew Declan – serve side-by-side on the RNLI Fraserburgh lifeboat, continuing a tradition of lifesaving that dates back to 1978. Between them, Vic and David have more than 50 years' experience with the RNLI. Their dedication was sparked by their father, who served as a crew member and fisherman. 'I remember the phone ringing and him dropping everything to go,' said Vic. 'There were no pagers then – just the house phone. We knew when it was a lifeboat call because he was gone before the phone stopped ringing.' Now Vic's 21-year-old daughter Eilidh is the latest to join the ranks. 'I grew up with it – I always knew I wanted to be on the crew,' she says. 'It's brought us closer, but when we're on the boat, he's not my dad – he's the Coxswain.' Despite the family connection, both father and daughter stress the importance of professionalism on duty. With the Sutherlands making up a significant part of the local crew, the RNLI in Fraserburgh relies heavily on the dedication of multi-generational volunteers. This Father's Day, Vic won't be taking the day off. She said: 'If the pager goes, you go. That's how it's always been – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. You don't hesitate.' Eilidh adds that volunteering together has only strengthened their bond. 'If other families are thinking about it – do it. Being there for each other while helping others is something really special.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
14-06-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Why saving lives at sea is truly a family affair in Fraserburgh
Vic Sutherland, Coxswain for almost 20 years, volunteers alongside his 21-year-old daughter Eilidh, his brother David and his nephew Declan. Together, the four family members make up part of the crew that helps save lives at sea. Vic Sutherland said: "It's probably overwhelming for the rest of the crew having four Sutherlands aboard the boat – they probably feel like they can't move for us, but I'm very proud of the family connection." READ MORE: He added: "The fact I'm going to sea with David, along with my nephew Declan and now my daughter Eilidh – I'm really proud they're carrying on the family tradition, just as we followed in our dad's footsteps." The two brothers have half a century in the life-saving organisation between them, and the family's RNLI connection goes back decades. Mr Sutherland said: "My dad was a fisherman and crew member. I remember the phone ringing and him dropping everything to go – there were no pagers then, just the house phone. You would know within a matter of seconds when it was the lifeboat calling, because my dad would drop the phone and run straight out of the house." He added: "It certainly set myself and David up with an itch to join the crew, it was a natural progression. I think it gave us a really good grounding, it's great for any youngster coming in. It gives you a sense of responsibility, because obviously the level of commitment that's going to be given is second to none. It also gives you a sense of pride, the fact that you're involved with the station." Mr Sutherland's daughter Eilidh, who recently joined as crew, says it felt inevitable she would follow the same path. Vic Snr, Vic, Dave and Declan (Image: RNLI) She said: "I grew up with the RNLI. My dad always says I've been going about with fundraising buckets since I could walk, and I always remember thinking I would love to be part of the crew." Despite their close bond, the 21-year-old says professionalism comes first on the boat. She added: "It's definitely brought us closer, but when I'm at the station, he's not my dad – he's the Coxswain and I'm the crew." Father's Day itself will be a working one for Vic Sutherland at RNLI Fraserburgh. He said: "I'll open my cards and get my socks or a bottle of whisky, but I'm on duty this weekend so it's just like any other day. If the pager goes off, you're getting on with it and doing what needs to be done. That's been the way for the whole of Eilidh's life." He added: "My girls have experienced the pager going off at every kind of time over the years, whether it's a Father's Day, Mother's Day, anniversaries - if the pager goes, you just respond. It wouldn't be the first time they had been left sitting in a restaurant or abandoned sitting in Tesco's with their mum because they've went in for the shopping, I've been sitting in the car and the pager's gone and they understand I've had to go." And for families considering volunteering together, daughter Eilidh said: "Just go for it. It's brought us closer being there for that part of each other's lives, because it's the biggest part of our lives. Working on the boat with my dad and going out to help people together is just an amazing feeling." Established in 1858, Fraserburgh was the first RNLI station in Scotland. Its crews have been honoured with 16 awards for gallantry, the most recent of which was in 1997 when a Bronze Medal awarded to Coxswain Albert Sutherland in recognition of his outstanding seamanship and high standard of leadership when the lifeboat City of Edinburgh rescued six people and saved the fishing vessel Hopecrest some 50 miles north east of the lifeboat station in very rough seas and severe gale.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Scotsman
The Malt Whisky Murders, by Natalie Jayne Clark review: 'an entertaining caper'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Whisky and Murder go together, in Scottish crime fiction anyway. Here they do so quite light-heartedly. One of the quotes on the back cover calls this book "Hilarious, brave and original." Others might call it a caper. That's to say: it is entertaining, but seems to have little connection with reality. Of course, that's true of much crime fiction here in Scotland, where we have just been told that the homicide rate is the lowest for more that 20 years - a fact not really reflected on the shelves of our bookshops. Whisky has of course gone up in the world - single malts that is. They were rare when I was young, rarely seen in a pub. In middle-class households, the whisky bottle - Johnny Walker Red Label, Famous Grouse or Vat67 - sat next to a soda syphon. In public bars there would be a jug of water and a bottle of lemonade on the counter. Farmers and manual workers often topped up their dram with the lemonade free of charge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Times have changed. Eilidh is a young woman who, from her early years, has made herself a malt whisky expert, starting off with a blog and then branching out. Now, with her wife Morag, formerly a distinguished Scotsman journalist, she has bought a distillery in Campbelltown. This should ring alarm bells with the reader; we know from the work of the late lamented Denzel Meyrick that the Mull of Kintyre has a murder rate to rival Chicago in Prohibition days. The distillery is derelict, and much clearing-up and renovation needs to be done before TV crews can be invited in to promote the new venture. This, it transpires, will take longer than hoped: long-dead, fully-clothed corpses are soon discovered in two of the barrels which came with the sale. Sign up to our FREE Arts & Culture newsletter at Now most of us, I suppose, if we discovered we had bought two corpses along with a distillery, would call the police. But not Eilidh, even though the bodies in the barrels have been there about as long as she has lived. Morag, being a former journalist, has her doubts about remaining silent and carrying on with the renovations, but she nevertheless agrees with her wife. So, Eilidh gets on with the work and with winning the support of the local community. She is good at this. She is pretty good at most things, and headstrong too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Parts of the novel are told in another voice. This belongs to a character we know only as "You". This person worked in the distillery long ago when it was already in decline, sales falling, if slowly. 'You' insisted they must change their image - suggested innovative advertising was needed to attract new customers, that it was no good just appealing to old buffers, that you can't win a new market with images of of tweedy old boys sitting in the heather with a Labrador at their feat. But "You' was rebuffed, and went away promoting and selling other brands all overt the world. Now, however, "You" is back in Campbelltown. Does "You" have anything to do with the dead men? And who are they anyway? I couldn't possibly comment. The Malt Whisky Murders is an entertaining novel, feather-light, flowing along at a good pace. The main characters are likable and Eilidh and Morag have a fine dog, always welcome in a novel. It is brisk and frothy and you will also quite probably learn something about whisky. It would of course have been different if they had called the police, but this doesn't really matter.
Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Music festival to boost retired Scots police officer's 2,500-mile charity cycle to Africa in memory of schoolgirl
The 'Rock to Morocco Music Festival' will be held this weekend, with all proceeds raised to be added to the sum already raised for the Eilidh Brown Respite Home. A quaint music festival is set to take place in Bridge of Allan this weekend to celebrate the return of a retired anti-terrorism detective who completed a gruelling 2,500-mile charity cycle ride from Stirling Castle to Morocco in honour of a tragic Stirling schoolgirl. The event is scheduled for Saturday, with all proceeds being added to the funds already raised for the Eilidh Brown Respite Home, located in Thornhill. Johnny Dreczkowski, a former Detective Inspector who served as the Head of Counter Terrorism and Covert Specialist Training, reached his destination in Marrakesh last week after navigating some of Europe and Africa's most demanding landscapes. Johnny embarked on this monumental journey to raise vital funds for the respite home established in memory of the teenager. Departing from the historic Stirling Castle at the start of May, Johnny undertook a solo and unsupported cycle through seven countries, across two continents, spanning three different time zones – all within a mere 34 days, raising an impressive £30,000. However, he's not stopping there - he hopes to generate additional funds through Saturday's event. Johnny, from Bridge of Allan, has embarked on several marathon endeavours to fundraise for the home. The respite centre, situated amid the serene Stirlingshire countryside, means a great deal to Johnny as his wife, Ally Croll, who was the architect who worked closely with Eilidh's loved ones to make the respite home a reality. Eilidh sadly lost her battle with a rare germ cell cancer on March 25, 2010, just nine days shy of her 16th birthday. In her valiant fight against this illness, Eilidh and her family, who are from St Ninians, cherished their time together at Calum's Cabin, a respite retreat on the Isle of Bute. One of Eilidh's final wishes was to see a sanctuary built nearer to home, offering a peaceful escape for families faced with the harrowing reality of childhood cancer. Thanks to over a decade of fundraising and commitment from her family, the long-awaited respite home became a beacon of hope in 2023, offering much-needed support to families in their time of need. However, maintaining the home's operations requires at least £50,000 per year. Johnny is optimistic that his solo cycling challenge will not only boost awareness but also make a substantial contribution towards meeting this financial target. Johnny previosuly told how he felt inspired to support the cause because the centre "provides much-needed support and a safe haven for families dealing with the unimaginable". He said: "They offer a space of comfort and care, and I want to help ensure that with annual costs of around £50,000, they can continue their unbelievable work. "But I can't do it alone – I need your help! By sponsoring my ride, you'll be directly supporting the Eilidh Brown Respite Home and the incredible families they assist. "Every mile I ride will be powered by your generosity and our belief in this cause. "Your kindness and teamwork built this, let's keep it going, help me please." Upon Johnny crossing the finish line earlier this month, Eilidh's father, Gordon remarked: "Johnny has been an amazing, constant support since the very start. It astounds us as a family the lengths he goes too support us - he is a machine and we are so very proud of him and full of love." The 'Rock to Morocco Music Festival' aims to celebrate Johnny's dedication while also raising additional funds. Happening at The Meadowpark Kitchen and Bar on Saturday, June 14, tickets for a night of music and community spirit can be purchased on Eventbrite for £20. Deeply linked with the efforts of the respite home, Johnny isn't new to large-scale fundraising efforts. In May 2021, he embarked on a bike ride stretching 875-miles - from Land's End to John O'Groats - for the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund. His impressive record doesn't stop there, he has also conquered the West Highland Way, the demanding North Coast 500, took on the Three Peaks Challenge, persevered through the Cateran Yomp 24-hour Challenge, and completed the London Marathon. In May 2023, he undertook a solo cycling expedition covering 1,400-miles, from Stirling Castle to the Colosseum in Rome, with the aim of raising funds for a respite home. Just last year, he impressively cycled around the entirety of the UK and Ireland in a mere seven days. Over the years, his relentless efforts have helped raise more than £100,000 for charity, thanks to the steadfast support of friends, family, and the local community. To contribute towards Johnny's 'Rock to Morocco', click here.
