MORE than 150 family and friends celebrated the life of a Rosyth "legend" and raised money for two good causes.

Jon Harrison, who died in January after losing his battle with COVID-19, was remembered in colourful style during a service arranged by his family at the Glen Pavilion, Dunfermline, on August 14.

A stalwart of the Rosyth community, Jon, who was 63, was well known for his commitment to football in the town, and for being the driving force behind the project to turn the Fleet Grounds into a community facility through the South West Fife Community Sports Partnership (SWFSP).

A native of Grimsby – and a lifelong supporter of its football team – Jon served with the Royal Navy during the Falklands War and worked with services company Mitie and Amazon.

Friends and colleagues from his working life, and from Rosyth AFC Saturday Amateurs, who he served as chairman, attended the humanist service, while many more – including family living as far afield as Australia – watched on Zoom.

The family were also fundraising for two charities close to Jon's heart – Combat Stress and Outpost, which provide support for armed forces personnel – and have raised around £300.

Jon's daughter, Kirsten Milne, said: "A lot of people said a lot of nice things about my dad, shared a lot of stories about the antics he was up to in the Navy and at the football and things like that, so that was nice to hear.

"There was a lot of old friends of ours who we haven't seen for years that came along and kids that my mum used to child-mind came along. Loads of the football guys came up as well so it was really good.

"It's helped us remember him and see how much of a legend he was and how much people loved him and cared about him.

"I definitely don't think there was a dry eye in the whole place to be honest but it was really nice."

Jon, who also worked as a football scout for Grimsby Town and others, outlined a vision in 2013 to revamp the Fleet Grounds – then owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) – into a sports hub for the community.

He then founded the SWFSP, who have gone on to lease the facility from Fife Council, who purchased the site from the MoD.

Shortly after his death, an online fundraising page saw more than £1,000 donated to create a memorial bench overlooking the football pitches in his honour.

Jon is survived by his wife, Liz, and their children, Craig, Kieron and Kirsten, who wished to thank everyone who have helped and supported the family following his death, particularly the 'Crew of 82'; Rosyth Saturday Amateurs; and

The online charity fundraising page remains open, and anybody who wishes to donate online can do so by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jonharrison-memorial.