Is Ally up s**t creek without a paddle?

Just another quick post to follow up some previous twitter comments.

Ally McCoist has embarked upon a £10k fundraising campaign for the Rangers Charity Foundation.  Good stuff!

He is aiming to achieve this by navigating some white water rapids in Idaho (the River Salmon) with a team of Rangers Charity Foundation supporters.

My interest in this was piqued a couple of weeks ago when I noticed that he had only raised £219.  I therefore raised awareness of the event in my blog and subsequently on twitter (I am not claiming credit here for now getting him to the £8,000 he has currently raised).

What I found particularly strange was that the target seemed so low.  Mr McCoist is a wealthy man through his footballing and media endeavours as are many of his associates, friends and colleagues.  Indeed, I would have anticipated a target of £100,000 to be more appropriate especially when one considers the costs involved in this wort of thing.  I decided therefore to keep an eye on this.

My curiosity was further raised by a tweet from Ally McCoist’s son on Thursday, 22 May in which he stated that the airline had given away their business class seats because they were late.  Business class seats on a fundraising trip?  Hmmm…

So I have followed the redoubtable Mr McCoist junior and it transpires that he spent 3 days in New York City in a hotel overlooking Times Square.  Then he flew out to Denver before catching a connecting flight to Boise, Idaho and then another connection to Salmon, Idaho.  Following the rafting, Mr McCoist junior has helpfully informed us that he will be in San Francisco afterwards although it is unclear for how long or if this is part of the charity programme or, em, personal business.

A wee friend in the travel agency business did a bit of research for me and priced the flights only package at £4,500.  A hotel in New York overlooking Times Square would set you back about £300 per night.  So that’s at least £5,000.

On top of this, of course, one has to add the cost of the white water rafting.  I am reliably informed that the RCF party are participating in a five day experience costing £1,500.  So we’ve now got a running total of £6,500 per head.

Yes folks, Ally McCoist has gone all the way to America to raise £1,500.  If Mr McCoist is indeed employed on an annual salary of £750,000 as rumoured that 1/500 of his annual salary or about half-a-day; not quite a tithe, eh?

Anyway, I digress.  Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that I mention both Ally McCoist and his son.  They may also have spotted that I mentioned that Mr McCoist is leading a team.

Now, I could be mistaken here but I’ve trawled (yes, it is an obsession) Just Giving and I cannot find a single entry for Ally’s Idaho Challenge other than that under Ally’s own name.  There is no account in his son’s name and there is no other account specific to Idaho.

That’s very strange…I mean where are the funds being raised by other rafters?  You don’t think they could all be in one Just Giving account, do you?  But, but, but, but that would mean that the charity is now paying everyone to take a holiday at its expense!  Surely not?

Maybe those nice, responsive people at the Rangers Press Office or the Rangers Charity Foundation itself can reply and let me know (they’ve got the email address)?

If they do decide to respond perhaps they could also let me know how they plan to ensure that the insurance policy they’ve obviously taken out to protect the rafters is legally binding if it hasn’t actually been legally executed by the board of trustees?