30 Aug Light to Light – Carbon Free Across Scotland
Next week, our Business Manager, Peter West (Fraser’s dad), begins a challenge he’s set himself. He’s going to run and cycle between iconic lighthouses on Scotland’s west and east coasts. ‘Light to Light – Carbon Free Across Scotland’ will cover around 200 miles between Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on the west coast and Scurdie Ness Lighthouse, near Montrose on the east coast. His all electric support car, a Skoda Enyaq, means that the journey will be entirely carbon free.
And he’s doing it all for charities that have lost out on some of their regular funding inputs during the pandemic. In 2006, Skerryvore provided the music at the very first ‘Mag’s Fish Supper Ceilidh.’ Up to the last ceilidh in January 2020, over £185000 had been raised for breast cancer treatments, nurse education, and research at Edinburgh’s Western General and Livingston’s St John’s Hospitals. Skerryvore performed at 14 of the 15 ceilidhs, and adopted this as their ‘preferred charity.’
‘The pandemic meant we couldn’t hold the ceilidh in 2021,’ said Peter, ‘and, even though we held a raffle and raised over £5000, the charities lost out on some of their regular income from us. This is something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while, so I decided the time was right to get into training and actually do it.’
Peter will start off at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse around 10:30 on Tuesday 7th, run the 10k to Kilchoan and then cycle through Salen and Strontian and on to Corran. Wednesday 8th will be a cycle from Corran, across the Ballachulish Bridge and up through Glencoe to Kingshouse. Thursday 9th will be a 20k run from Kingshouse to Rannoch Station, followed by a cycle to Pitlochry. Friday 10th a cycle from Pitlochry to Forfar and then on Saturday 11th, a cycle towards Montrose before running the last 5k to Scurdie Ness Lighthouse.
Meanwhile Fraser’s mum, Marion, will drive their Skoda Enyaq and make sure it’s sufficiently charged to negotiate the route, including the 100 mile ‘long way round’ to Rannoch Station.
The amount raised so far has already passed the £3000 mark. ‘I’ve not set any target total. I’m always both humbled and astonished with the donations that people, some of whom I don’t know, are prepared to make,’ Peter remarked.
You can visit the event Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/l2lruncycle to find out more about the challenge and how the money is spent, and if you wish, you can make a donation here: