A COMMUNITY buyout of Raith Rovers brokered by Gordon Brown succeeded thanks to an £800,000 donation from a fellow son of the manse.

John Sim, whose father was a Church of Scotland minister in Kirkcaldy at the same time as Brown’s father, was the main backer of the consortium that bought the Fife football club for £1.2m last week.

Sim is a Bangkok-based partner in KPMG, the international accountancy firm. Like Brown he is a life-long fan of the second division side.

Sim’s father, the Rev John Sim, was minister at Kirkcaldy old parish church from 1960 to 1987, while the chancellor’s late father, the Rev John Brown, commanded the pulpit at the town’s St Bryce kirk between 1954 and 1967.

Brown used his influence to bring together a rescue consortium after Colin McGowan, the club’s owner, announced earlier this year that he was selling up and that Raith would close unless a buyer could be found.

The chancellor, who has invested at least £5,000 in the consortium, recruited celebrity friends to the cause, including the authors Nick Hornby, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.

Sim returned to Scotland last week to close the deal so that the new board can take control of the club and its Starks Park stadium.

“It is fantastic that even when in Asia, Mr Sim has taken such a big interest in the club and we are profoundly grateful to him,” said Brown.

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