Three years have passed since we lost our dear friend, Matthew McCombe. Aged just 21, Matt had his whole life ahead of him when he died in Amsterdam.

Matt was a rare character, a true unifying force among friends and a loving son, grandson, nephew, and cousin. In all situations, his presence always brought a welcome abundance of laughter, but never at the expense of others. He would always seek to include everyone, despite any differences a person might have had with him or anyone else in a group. That demonstrating, in a nutshell, the unwavering kind-heartedness and magnanimity that Matt carried himself with.

Matt’s passing coincided with the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which denied us the chance to celebrate his memory together. To embody our gratitude to Matt for these qualities he touched our lives with, on Saturday 12th August we will embark upon a challenging 40 mile walk from Matt’s resting place in Philipshill to Rowardennan at Loch Lomond, via Celtic Park and Ibrox Stadium.

In doing this, we hope to raise money and awareness for charities’ close to Matt’s family, and that which provided invaluable support to them at the hour of need.

The inclusion of Celtic Park and Ibrox Stadium highlight Matt’s love of football and his intrinsic link to both clubs. Matt was an avid Rangers fan, and he supported them with a passion relayed by his Dad, Charlie. Matt was, however, also immensely proud of his Grandad Billy – whose achievements as a Celtic player and manager are so widely celebrated.

Thus, one of the great charities we will support is the Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee. The committee began with the construction of the Billy McNeill statue in Bellshill in the aftermath of his death, but work has continued with focus shifted towards driving the health and sporting ambitions of disadvantaged young people in the local area.

When Matt disappeared, the assistance of two Dutch charities was indispensable in the ensuing search. The Veterans Search Team used their vast experience and trained expertise to accelerate the search for Matt in Amsterdam. The SIGNI Search Dogs also played a key role in the effort, and the compassion shown by both charities in assisting Matt’s Dad should not be understated. We hope to contribute to the upkeep of these charities so that they may continue to give salvation to the families of disappeared loved ones in the Netherlands.

As previously mentioned, the walk will progress north from Ibrox to join the West Highland Way route towards Loch Lomond. This will provide an arduous, but scenic journey to the finish line in Rowardennan – a beautiful setting for us to celebrate our achievement and propose a toast to the life of our friend.

Please give generously to help our cause, and if anyone feels inclined to join us please feel free to contact Marc Kelly (marcthomaskelly@gmail.com) or David Sloan (davidsloan19@icloud.com).

Charity info links:

Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee

Veterans Search Team

SIGNI Search Dogs

Proceeds will be divided equally among the three charities.