Sir Jimmy Savile: Runner and outdoors fan extraordinaire

Eccentric, charming, amazingly fit, a bit odd, a fan of the outdoors, bonkers, or that silver-haired chap who made wishes come true for kids in the 1970s. We will all remember the late Sir Jimmy Savile for different reasons but whatever your thoughts this man added huge value to Britain. Above all he raised many tens of millions for charity (his accountant famously said that he stopped counting after Jim had raised £40 million for charity) but he also offered huge enthusiasm and encouragement to people to keep fit and enjoy the great outdoors.

My memories of this iconic man are Top of the Pops, Jim’ll Fix It (I wrote in many time but never appeared!), marathon runner extraordinaire and his wee white cottage in Glencoe. Every time I have driven or walked through the fabulous landscape of Glencoe, Sir Jimmy’s house has caught my eye and I would always wonder if he was in residence or not. He was often to be found in the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe enjoying a drink and a chat with outdoors folk. (I was lucky enough to catch up with him on the phone while he was at the Clachaig to ask him for his top tips on keeping fit for a newspaper article.)

Sir Jimmy Savile's Glencoe cottage

Many outdoors fans in Scotland will also remember Jim as someone who took time out of his busy life to help to big up outdoors festivals or to encourage more people to take part in walking and running events.

Savile was chieftain of the Lochaber Highland Games and famously prerecord the final Top of the Pops show because the actual dated clashed with the Games.

Although famous for his cigar,  Sir Jimmy for was fit enough to run some 200 marathons during his life (and numerous other running races), raising money for a wide range of charities. In 1983 alone, he raised £20m for the creation of the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, after a storm damaged wooden huts which had housed spinal cord injury patients.

Only this year, Sir Jim played a major role in a promotional video about Lochaber, Scotland’s self-proclaimed Outdoors Capital. While the  Jim’ll Fix It presenter was seen mainly speaking from his armchair while younger athletes disguised as him rode bikes and ran,  Jim had in his time completed 35 Half Ben runs on Ben Nevis in his younger days. He knew and loved the Scottish Highlands and made a point of telling others about our fabulous outdoors playground.

His frequent presence in the Highlands was also noted by former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, who lives near Fort William and knew the TV personality well from his time living in the area. Kennedy said:  ”When not resident at his home in Glencoe, he made it available for mountain rescue use.”

So it was with great sadness that I learned of Sir Jimmy Savile’s death at the weekend. He’d had a great life and it’s said he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 84 so the sadness is tinged with a smile knowing that he had enjoyed a hugely varied and healthy life.

There were, of course, people who were keen to find a little dirt in Sir Jim’s life. People said he was odd for living with The Duchess (his mum) and for an apparent lack of girlfriends. Being different and eccentric often leads to malicious rumours but, unless I have missed something, Sir Jim was plain and simple “different”. Being “different” meant that he lived life his way but also gave a great deal back to Britain and its people.

RIP Sir Jimmy.

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