A gofundme campaign to raise money to erect a memorial to the late Chris Smith in his Aberdeenshire hometown has exceeded its £7000 target.

At press time, the fund had exceeded £7100, with donations still being collected.  

The GB international hill runner was raised and lived in the village of Daviot for many years, and always considered it to be ‘home’, long after his move to England.

Smith died while running in the Perthshire hills in October 2020.

To mark his untimely passing, Smith’s oldest friends have been working with the Daviot Community Trust to create a memorial to him ‘back home’, on the grounds of the Daviot Estate. 

They hope that the memorial ‘will be a place where Chris will always be remembered but will also be a place that local families and future generations can enjoy for years to come.’ They also hope that the memorial will encourage others to take up outdoor sporting activities, including running and cycling. 

The current plan for the memorial is to renovate the old estate pump house and in the process create a decking and seating area. The south wall of the pump house will feature a memorial plaque of a running man, with wording to be chosen by Smith’s widow, Lindsay.

Smith’s friends hope to have the memorial completed before the 2021 Daviot Trust Biathlon, where the plaque will be unveiled. 

Any funds raised through the gofundme campaign in excess of what will be needed for the memorial will be put towards trophies and medals for the Daviot Trust Biathlon, or donated to the Chris Smith Memorial Fund – a separate campaign linked to the Sussex Community Fund – which has so far raised over £20,000.