Royal Marines plan mountain relay to honour Chris Moses

A charity relay event is being held in memory of a Cardross man who died last year.

Chris Moses, a teacher at the Vale of Leven Academy, was formerly a Major in the Royal Marines.

And on Friday six Royal Marines will run from their base in Faslane to the summit of Beinn a’ Mhanaich and back again.

It was two of the men who are completing the challenge, Major Kane Holford and Warrant Officer 2 Richard Hayden, who came up with the idea of mounting a memorial plaque on the mountain overlooking Faslane with a charity run to commemorate Chris’ life.

The idea snowballed and became a team event with all money raised being split between the Royal Marines Charity and Erskine Hospital.

“We chose the Royal Marines Charity and Erskine Hospital because Chris loved the Royal Marines and supported the corps as much as possible throughout his career,” said Richard.

“He also made regular donations to the Erskine Hospital and would have continued doing so for the rest of his life.

“Major Chris Moses spent most of his time helping others; I have no doubt that he would have been doing this challenge if it was in someone else’s name because that is the type of guy he was, selfless.”

Chris, who joined the Royal Marines in 2005 and spent much of in 43 Commando, provided maths lessons to the wider Royal Navy community, something he took with him when he left the Corps, becoming a maths teacher at the Vale of Leven Academy in Alexandria.

He was also a keen cross-country runner and was heavily involved with Helensburgh Athletics Club.

Major Holford added: “The purpose of the challenge is to fundraise and celebrate the life and memory of Major Chris Moses, who sadly died in January 2020.

“We decided the most fitting way to commemorate Chris’ vivacious life was to run a marathon-distance event up a local mountain – very much in the spirit of his approach to physical challenges. In so doing, we aim to raise as much money for two military-focused charities.”

As part of the event, an oak plaque bearing Chris’ name has been embedded on the cairn of Beinn a’ Mhanaich in his memory.

Major Holford said: “It is hoped that leaving such a legacy in a poignant place will prompt hillwalkers and local runners to make the ascent to the cairn to pay their respects.

“Finally, and most importantly, we would like thank Chris’ wife Joanne, his family friend Kevin Johnson and the Helensburgh Amateur Athletics Club who have supported our efforts.”

To contribute to either charity go to this website.