ONE of the Pars' most colourful characters will be let 'off the Leish' next month when he headlines a charity night in Dunfermline.

Former Athletic boss – and current Provost of Fife – Jim Leishman will present an evening of song, comedy and entertainment to raise funds for Fire Station Creative.

The contemporary arts hub opened in the summer of 2015 and turned the town's former fire station into a 21-studio gallery complete with a classroom, cafe and art therapy room, which is sponsored by the Mary Leishman Foundation.

After the untimely passing of Jim's wife, Mary, in February 2009 from cancer – aged just 53 and on what was their 30th wedding anniversary – he and a group of trustees set up a foundation in her memory to raise cash for local good causes, with the aims of achieving potential and easing distress.

They're on target to reach £1 million in funds raised by next year and Jim, who is a director with his beloved Pars, will help Fire Station Creative raise cash on Sunday November 12 as part of their links to the Foundation.

He said: "The Mary Leishman Foundation sponsors an 'Art Therapy Suite' upstairs in the Fire Station, which I know is highly valued by a number of mental health charities, so I'm delighted to present this evening which will raise funds to further the charity objectives of what has become such a great success story in Dunfermline since its opening."

Subtitled 'From Ball to Chain', Jim will regale the audience with colourful stories from his two spells as Pars boss, as well as his foray into politics as the Kingdom's provost, while there will also be music and song from supporting performers.

Ian Moir, gallery curator at Fire Station Creative, said: "The aim of Fire Station Creative is to generate opportunities for the public to experience high quality art and promote the local arts community, and we are grateful to Jim for giving his time freely from an extremely busy schedule to help promote this aspect of our work. I’m sure it will be a sell-out event and all the team here are very much looking forward to it."

Tickets for the event, for which the Press are Media Partners, are priced at £12 and are on sale in Fire Station Creative, as well as on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-evening-with-jim-leishman-tickets-38658174641?aff=es2.

The show begins at 7.30pm and runs until 11pm.