Fifteen team members from Scotmid Co-operative will be getting on their bikes and into their hiking boots over the May bank holiday weekend (4-5 May), as they embark on a fitness-fuelled charity challenge for Maggie’s.
The Monster Bike and Hike will see the Scotmid team cycling 31 miles from Fort William and then hiking along the Great Glen Way to Invermoriston (9 miles), Drumnadrochit (23 miles) or Inverness (41 miles) – bronze, silver or gold finishing points respectively.
The team is hoping to raise £4,500 for Maggie’s, Scotmid Co-operative’s charity of the year, which provides support and care to people with cancer. Scotmid Co-operative has raised over £144,000 for Maggie’s to date, with five months of the charity partnership still to go.
Sharon Angus, who is a Branch Supervisor at Scotmid Kilmarnock Dean Street and is going for the bronze challenge said: “I signed up for the Monster Bike and Hike because everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer. Maggie’s provides wonderful support to not only patients, but families too. This challenge is going to take me totally out of my comfort zone but I’m really looking forward to it. The team spirit is great and everyone has really been getting behind us.”
Jamie Maxwell, who is a Technology Analyst at Scotmid and has signed up for the silver challenge said: “I’ve known lots of family and friends who have been affected by cancer which gave me the inspiration to take up the challenge for Maggie’s. It’s going to be the toughest thing I’ve ever done but the achievement will be worth it.”
James Blackburn, Head of Scotmid Funerals, who is undertaking the gold challenge said: “I’ve seen the work that Maggie’s do first hand and their whole ethos and how they look after people is very inspirational. We’ve cycled the 31 mile route four times now to get prepared, including in the rain, and we’ve also been doing spinning classes and lots of walking. I think it’s going to be great fun and a very memorable weekend.”
Gemma Branney, Senior Corporate Fundraising Manager for Maggie’s said: “The Monster Bike and Hike is one of our biggest fundraising events; now in its 10th year the event participants have raised over £4.8 million for our cancer support Centres. We are so glad that Scotmid will be joining us to celebrate the 10th Monster Bike and Hike. The support we have received from all of the staff and customers at Scotmid has been fantastic, it is only with support like this that we can open the doors to Maggie’s Centres.”
This will be their second major charity challenge for Maggie’s for a number of the team, after Craig Duncan, Jim Harper and Martin Devlin completed the 960 mile Ride Across Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats in September last year. Scotmid Co-operative staff have also undertaken sponsored bungee jumps, parachute jumps, fitness challenges, dress up days, bake sales and raffles to raise funds for Maggie’s, with more fundraising activities planned over the coming months.
The team members going for the gold monster challenge are Martin Devlin, James Blackburn, Craig Duncan, Jim Harper and Ashley Hopkirk; going for silver are Iain Armstrong and Gavin Sinclair; and going for bronze are Lynne Ogg, Isobel Brown, Alison Murphy, Paul Ryan, Jamie Maxwell, Dave Chalmers, Craig Smith, Sharon Angus and Chris Vidler.
To sponsor the team go to: http://www.justgiving.com/scotmidmonster