A BIG-hearted Irvine man who won the annual Marymass Greasy Pole competition has dedicated the victory to his late friend.

Scott Gray along with Ross Burns, Jim Stewart and Darren Gray won the race to the top of the pole on Marymass Saturday

And it was all in memory of Scott's friend Fiona Lindsay who died on Thursday, August 11 - only one week after being diagnosed with Metastatic Adenocarcinoma. 

Scott and the team set out to raise the money for Cancer Research in memory of Fiona.

Speaking after the win, Scott said: “Fiona was a helpful, caring and loyal individual. She never saw the bad in anybody and her door was always open to everyone.

"Fiona always had a smile on her face and would never pass anyone in the street without a cheerful hello. She never bothered anyone else with her own problems, and would rather help others with theirs. 

“It makes me feel even more strongly about donating all the money I have earned to this charity and also after her family raised money at her funeral with a donation box to Cancer Research.” 

Fiona was cremated on Friday and on Saturday, her daughter Chloe Quinn came out to watch Scott climb the pole.

Chloe said: “I was elated that Scott had even considered doing this. It’s a totally selfless thing to do, so my family and I were all totally speechless.

"We are also so proud of him for achieving this. It’s a bittersweet feeling as the greasy pole along with the parade was my mum’s favourite bit about the Marymass festival.”

Scott has set up a JustGiving page to raise money for Cancer Research in memory of Lindsay at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/scott-gray6.