Fundraisers cycle equivalent of Lossiemouth to Cairo to raise funds for Outfit Moray
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FUNDRAISERS taking part in Outfit Moray's annual summer challenge have cycled the equivalent of Lossiemouth to the pyramids of Giza to raise more than £1000 for the charity.
The charity's summer challenge sees participants covering the equivalent distance of the Moray Way (96 miles), North-east 250 (250 miles) or North Coast 500 (516 miles) over the month of July, raising funds for Outfit Moray in the process.
Participants this summer covered an impressive 2581 miles between them, which is further than the distance from Outfit Moray’s base on Shore Street in Lossiemouth to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo.
There’s always one person who decides to change the plan and, after taking on the North Coast 500 in last year’s summer challenge, Windswept Brewing’s head brewer, Stuart Evans, decided to combine the total of all three challenges, completing an 856-mile challenge in one month.
Stuart’s effort is made all the more remarkable when you consider he only took up cycling in January 2021, after deciding he needed to improve his health.
Stuart tells us: “In December of 2020 I was overweight, unfit, fed up, and suffering from anxiety.
"I had zero motivation, was sliding into depression, comfort eating and a fully paid-up member of the couch potato club.
“I still get days where I struggle mentally, but thanks to my new-found love of cycling I find it easier to get back on the happy highway – especially when I'm out in the countryside, catching glimpses of our amazing wildlife such as hares, stoats, owls, buzzards, osprey, deer and many more animals, not forgetting our beautiful Moray scenery.”
Determined to crack his 856-mile challenge, Stuart planned some rides with Elgin Cycling Club, as well as an indoor ‘Rammstein Challenge’ where he spent the day cycling to favourite band’s 10 albums – nine hours and 46 minutes of non-stop pedalling.
His final target of the month was his first 100-mile ride, which he completed with Elgin Cycling Club, bringing his final total for July to a staggering 1108 miles.
Karen Cox, Outfit Moray’s Community and Corporate fundraiser, said: “We are always blown away by the effort everyone puts into their summer challenges.
"This year, we had teams from RAF Lossiemouth and HIE Moray, as well as local families, including siblings Ashley Symon (8) and Fraser Symon (6) and Joel Laidlaw-Neill (5), who all had a great time doing their ‘Moray Way’ distances.
“Since the pandemic, we are busier than ever with more and more young people struggling with anxiety and other mental health issues.
"This means we are facing increased demand for our activities, putting a bigger strain on our already limited resources, so fundraising continues to be a challenge.
"Events such as this help raise vital funds for us and we are incredible grateful to our summer challenge participants for raising £1420”.
Outfit Moray are running a charity abseil at Dufftown Clock Tower on August 20. To book visit www.outfitmoray.com/dufftown.
